Twice in Two Lifetimes (Part 26th of the series)
by Justright
Summary: Story finished :) Cole learns through Phoebe's vision of the past, that his coming to destroy the charmed ones might have been planned long before he even was Belthazor.
1. Default Chapter

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Prologue to "Twice in two lifetimes"

**The charmed ones and Leo came back downstairs in a daze. **

They more or less settled down in the manor's living room, and kept silent for a long moment.

What had just happened was nothing short of unbelievable, and flooring at the same time. Cole had allowed the impossible to happen… But at what price?

They kept silent, while the baby cooed happily in Phoebe's arms. 

Leo was the first to speak:

"Well, it worked, we did it!"

Phoebe gave him a meaningful look that stopped his enthusiasm short.

"You used me shamelessly. Both you and Cole…"

Leo tried to apologize:

"You know that we did that only because it was the only way…Neither me nor Cole ever meant to hurt you…"

"Well, you did a bang up job of it."

She was still so upset that the baby stopped his cooing, and became agitated. Phoebe realized that she was being unreasonable, but it all had been too much. The fear and the suffering that they had put her through… Was it all worth it?

Piper came to sit by her, wrapping her arms across her distraught sister' shoulders.

"Come on, Phoebe, it is all over now…"

"How the hell can you say that?"

Piper sighed.

"It is going to be ok; you will be fine. You will see…"

The front door opened and closed, which had them all looking up. 

Cole walked hesitantly through the threshold, while avoiding Phoebe' stare.


	2. Twice in two Lifetimes (Chapter 1)

"Twice in two lifetimes"

"Chapter I"

The front door opened and closed which made them all look up. 

Cole walked hesitantly through the threshold, while avoiding Phoebe' stare. This one was watching him intently with daggers in her eyes, and he could very much feel her resentment. 

"Hell," he thought, "I did it for them, can't she just give me a break?" However, he knew that it had gone a little too far and would take some explaining and many apologies to repair this. That was a little much after what he had gone through, but if it was what it took…

Still, he had no idea how to start and with all of them in the room, it was even more difficult. It did not help either that he had issues of his own.

Piper sensed this first and she turned to Phoebe right then.

"Hey, sis, do you mind if I take Jason up with us? I think that he could use a nap. It is very late and you do not want to go home yet. The room is still a mess…"

She almost regretted adding this, as it was a reminder, but she needed a good reason.

She saw her sister hesitating and continued, smiling:

"Besides, it is going to be my turn soon, I better get some practice…"

Phoebe looked down on the baby, unsure if she wanted to part with him just yet. She had been so scared for all of them, but mostly for him. Nevertheless, she realized that Piper was trying to give her and Cole some time alone, and she believed it to be a good idea, even though she did not relish the discussion to come. She knew that the baby did not need to be there for this. 

Reluctantly, she handed Jason to her sister, while this one signaled not so subtly to Leo that it was time to go for him too. In fact, she was thinking that once the baby was asleep, her whitelighter of a husband might get an earful as well.

Cole watched Piper leave, almost tempted to go to his son, but somehow, he thought that they should resolve their problems first. In truth, Phoebe had been looking at him in an even angrier way just seeing his slight move toward Piper.

He sighed, wondering what it would take to get back on track. When he had suggested the plan to Leo, this one had warned him about the consequences. Of course, he had not heeded the warning, convinced that she would understand in the end. Now however, faced with the aftermath, he was clueless as to what to say or do.

Paige saw that she was the only one left and most probably not more needed than Piper or Leo.   
"I think that I should go home and try to clean up, at least what I can…"

"You don't have to do that alone," Phoebe said, tempted to flee herself. "I should go with you…"

"No, no…" was Paige immediate response. "I can do this on my own, and you... Well, you got to talk."

Without waiting for an answer, she went out of the room avoiding looking at Cole. As much as he had found their presence uncomfortable, their obvious hurry to leave the room made him feel worse.

Phoebe was now staring away, and the silence prolonged between them. At last, he could not take this anymore and plunged, even though he knew what was coming. Better to do it now rather than wait and let it fester any longer.

"Phoebe?"

She sighed heavily but did not look back.

"Come on Phoebe, say something."

This time she gave him a quick look, but turned back so fast that he barely had time to see the tears in her eyes.

"I am sorry…Again…"

"You are sorry…"

Her voice was flat and emotionless, in spite of the tears, which he was certain he had seen.

"I couldn't tell you. They were watching us, I told you that already…"

This time, he got the response that he was expecting, although not what he was hoping for. 

The anger showed through clearly in her voice.

"I am not happy that you kept this from me, that is true, but this is not the only reason that I am so angry, Cole. There is a big difference between pretending jealousy and the way you treated me. Even after it was over…"

He could not help the anger to swell again.

"You must admit that things didn't look very good on your side of the bargain either. You were with him, only days after I left…"

"He was just trying to help me through a difficult time…" She replied quickly, while turning to him at last.

"By kissing you in our bedroom?"

That was not what he had planned. All the way back here, he had promised himself that this part of the discussion would be avoided at all cost. And yet, there they were, back with the same argument that had sent her running out of their house, soon followed by the others. Of course, Piper had given the excuse that they had to write what happened in the book, trying to mellow things, as usual. Yet, he knew that she was unhappy for the way he had treated Phoebe. It was easy to understand since he felt just as bad about it. However, right now, he was also worried that she might find solace in his arms again. He knew that he had to get a grip before this had gone too far. Taking a deep breath, he repeated:

"I'm sorry."

She was not apologetic at all herself, when she spoke again.

"I was confused then, and nothing else happened. You would have known that if you had stayed and talked to me, instead of spying on me and running at the first suspicion."

If she had known what he had wanted to do then, maybe she would have been glad he left. However, he knew that it was not the time to tell her that. Still, he had another beef of his own.

"You know, maybe I jumped to conclusions a little too quickly, but so did you. You believed right away that I had gone back to evil…"

"What else was I supposed to believe? You almost killed him, and me, before you ran out the first time, not to mention that you were back to being Belthazor," she screamed then.

"Just pretending to be," he answered, barely containing his impatience.

"I explained all that to you at the house."

"Trust me Cole. After all I have been through to be with you, the shock was a little too much."

"But you understand now that I didn't mean it, don't you?"

"I understand that you wanted me angry enough to do exactly what I had seen in my dreams, even though you knew how much it would hurt me…"

That dream had started it all, of course. From the moment, she had told him about it, he had begun to see the logic in it. Although, he knew that it could never happen the way she had seen it, he saw this as a starting point for his plan. It had needed some convincing in Leo's case, but surprisingly enough, not so much in his father's case, even though, Coleridge chose the riskiest part in it… 

Hearing the doorbell, he realized that he had drifted away from the conversation. Possibly because he did not know what to tell her just yet. No amount of reflection on the subject had given him the excuses that he now needed. Phoebe was looking at him expectantly, but he chose to use the visitor to give himself more time. 

However, when he opened the door, it brought back all the anger that was still inside of him, even if he had tried to push it aside.

"What the hell are you doing here," was asking Clay, the man who Cole had actually chosen for his plan. Now of course, he regretted that choice, for even the sight of him had his blood boiling with jealousy, not to mention that he was very upset with his attitude.

"I could ask you the same thing, even more so actually. You are after MY wife…"

Clay did not lose countenance there, as all he knew of the past few days events only confirmed Leo' story about Cole.

Unafraid, he tried to push past Cole to get inside, but this one put himself squarely in front of him. 

"You have better leave now," he said in a tone of voice that had scared more than one before. 

Clay just looked at him disdainfully.

"I have seen worse than you. Besides, your wife told me herself that it was all over between the two of you. You are the one who is not welcome…"

Phoebe heard the commotion and called:

"Clay?"

"Hey, Phoebe," he replied in a noticeably softer tone of voice. Cole almost hit him right then, but as he was looking back toward Phoebe, her reproachful expression convinced him to abstain. 

Clay continued:

"What is he doing here? I thought that you said he was not coming back?"

Self-control went only so far… Cole took a threatening step toward the visitor and Phoebe saw that if she did not intervene, something bad would happen again. Particularly that Clay was not apparently intimidated.

"Cole, please!" She uttered nervously, as she came closer and put a restraining hand on his arm.

He did not even bother to look back at her, but still stopped his advance.

"Phoebe, would you kindly explain to Clay that he is not needed here," he uttered between clenched teeth, while staring at Clay angrily.

Her silence alerted him. Forgetting about Clay momentarily, he turned toward her with a hint of concern. Was it already too late? Had it gone too far already?

She seemed uncertain, and that did not do anything to alleviate his fears. However, after a short moment, where he thought that the earth was sinking under his feet, she sighed and turned to Clay.

"It's alright, Clay. Cole and I are talking and we are working on our problems…"

Clay was still unconvinced.

"From what Leo told me, you have more than just a few problems that could be resolved by talking…"

Cole took another step, even as Phoebe tried to restrain him still. 

"You have no idea what you are talking about. We do not need you here, and I strongly suggest you leave."

"Cole!" Phoebe uttered warningly, and she put herself between the two men.

Turning to Clay, she smiled weakly trying her best to sound assured.

"I will be just fine, Clay. I am very grateful for your concerns, but you have no reasons to worry about me."

"I am not just worried Phoebe, I thought that…"

Phoebe stopped him right there, as she felt Cole tensing even more.

"I never promised you a thing, Clay. I was very confused but it's all over now."

Clay hesitated. He had actually been thinking that maybe, he had a chance again with Phoebe. The last few years, since he had seen her last, he had worked at getting a more stable livelihood. When Leo had come to him, with a story about how Cole was bad for Phoebe, and unstable, it had brought back the old feelings to the surface. She was the one woman that had stayed in his heart all those years, and the thought of being with her again had been most pleasant. He knew that she was married, but Leo insisted that it was a bad marriage, which she should try to get out of. That was the reason for his determination against Cole now, and this one knew that perfectly, as he had crafted the story for Leo to tell. Cole knew that there was no point in him trying to deny it now, as Clay would just assume that he was lying. He regretted the details that he had added to the unflattering profile now. At the time, he had assumed that it would take a lot for Clay to try to break up the marriage. He understood now that it had not been necessary at all. Apparently, Clay had only been too happy to oblige, according to Leo. 

He was almost tempted to call Leo to clear things up, but Phoebe insisted with Clay one last time.

"I am sorry if you got the wrong impression, but I am not leaving Cole. This was all a big mistake."

Cole almost let out a sigh of relief but thought better of it. The enormous weight that was on his chest seemed to lift somewhat. He knew that they still had a lot to discuss, but at least she was willing to.

Clay was looking at her questioningly but had to admit that she appeared certain of what she was saying. Resigned, he still offered:

"Take this, just in case," he said, extending a card toward her. 

Phoebe sensed Cole tensing again, but she still extended her hand to pick up the card. 

From the moment that she touched the card, she received the longest and most detailed premonition of her entire time as a witch. It was so intense, that she actually blacked out.

She woke up, lying on the floor and realized that the two men were now arguing over her.

"She already told you to leave, I can take care of my wife!"

Cole was leaning toward Clay with murder in his eyes, as this one was holding her hand. She felt slightly suffocated as the two men were just kneeling on either side of her, but staring each other down in a manner that she knew would bring trouble without intervention. She was about to try just that, when Leo called from the stairs.

"Hey, what the hell is happening here."

Cole just jerked his head back for a moment toward the voice, and curtly answered:

"Clay was just leaving here."

Leo saw Phoebe on the floor between them and ran to her, ignoring the other two.

"Phoebe, are you hurt?"  
Before she had a chance to answer, he looked at the two men irritably, and they backed off slightly.

She quickly replied:

"I'm fine Leo," and she gave him her hand as he helped her standing up. What she had just seen in the premonition had given her a very different perspective on the situation. Turning to Clay, she said firmly:

"You have to leave. It was all a big mistake, and although I am grateful for your help, this has to end now." 

Leo and Cole looked at her curiously. It was not so much what she said, as the nervous manner in which she did that alerted them.

"Are you sure that you are ok," Clay still tried.

"I will be just fine. I promise."

Clay reluctantly turned back toward the door.

"Fine then, but if you ever need me, you know where to find me."

Phoebe just nodded weakly before he closed the door behind him.

Vaguely relieved, she turned to Leo and Cole.

Leo was the first one to ask:

"What did you see?" This, as he saw the sudden distress in her expression.

"Don't worry," she uttered. "It was mostly a warning, coming from your bosses, I guess."

She turned her face upward, now irritated.

"You could not have showed that to me earlier?"

Cole questioned in puzzlement:

"Phoebe?"

She frowned, as she looked back, and rather than answering him she turned to Leo.

"It's ok Leo, Cole and I still have a lot to talk about, and this was mostly a message for him and me. You can go now."

Leo felt like he was summarily dismissed, and although, it was a little unsettling, he decided to wait later when she calmed down to question her any further on this.

"Alright, if you are sure?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure," she answered with an attempt at a reassuring smile. It came off rather like a grimace but Leo went away nevertheless.

Cole watched Leo leave and did not say anything until he was certain that Leo was out of earshot.

Then:

"What the hell was that all about? What did you see?"

The irritation was now more obvious than ever in her expression.

"I saw some very unpleasant things, Cole. And even some really shocking stuff."

He just looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue with butterfly dancing in his chest. For a moment there, he had been intensely relieved at the turnabout. However, now he wondered about her attitude. The way she was looking at him reminded him of the day she had found out what he was, although maybe not so intensely.

Rather than talking, she moved passed him toward the living room, obviously expecting him to follow.

"Phoebe? Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?"

She sighed heavily while sitting down on the couch, and Cole's anxiety level rose another notch.

"I'm just a little overwhelmed," she finally uttered. 

"Phoebe, what did you see?"

"I think that you better sit down for that one."

Unsure, he came to sit by her and waited.

"Do you remember all those dreams that I had about our past lives?"

"Yes of course, it was one of those…"

He stopped himself, but Phoebe caught it, and gave him another irritated look.

She took a deep breath before talking again. 

"We've been there before."

"Ok Phoebe, please try to make sense, what are you talking about?"

"What would you say if I told you that a little more than eight hundred years ago, you were a demon? Long before you ever were Belthazor…"

"What?"

Ignoring his question, she continued:

"And it was all because of this thing between Clay, you and me…"

Cole opened wide eyes, but somehow, even if what she said seemed almost impossible, he could imagine easily that Clay had been an issue before. In fact, he knew from one of the stories she had told him. 

Phoebe waited until she was certain that the news had sunk in, then she began telling him about her vision.

"It began even earlier than this, like nine hundred years ago. You were the son of a Baron, and I was the daughter of a vassal living on your father's land.

We had been seeing each other for over a year in secret when your family found out about it. At first, you tried to convince them that you wanted to marry me. However, your father had other ideas about your future, and he threatened to have you disowned if you went through with it. It took you too long to make a decision about it. By the time you came back to see me, I had found out that I was pregnant with our child, and my father went berserk. He was certain that you would never come back, and almost shunned me for the shame he said that I brought to our family. My mother made a suggestion, however. For the longest time, before you had come to me, I had been close to a neighbor's boy, Clay… He had let me know more than once that he would like to marry me. So, mother told me that it was either exile or marrying him. At the time, I did not expect you to come back to me anymore, and I was desperate. Clay had always been good to me. He knew that the child was not his, but he accepted it. We were married only a few days later, and I never told you about the baby. However, only a week after my wedding, long before the pregnancy was apparent, you came back and tried to convince me to leave Clay and flee with you. By then, I had lost trust in you. Clay had been good to me, and he had not asked any questions about my past. When I refused you, you became insistent, coming back almost every day in the end, while my husband was in the fields. I was also a witch then, and I had told you this a long time before. It had taken you some time to accept it, but I had never imagined that you would use it against me, as we were so much in love then. You grew tired of my rejections, and one day, you went straight to Clay, decided to have it out with him, as you thought that it would bring me back to you. The discussion soon turned physical and in the end, Clay hurt you, possibly by luck, but that finished to bring you to the brink of madness. You were so angry and frustrated that you went to the bishop and told them all about me. It did not take long for me, along with my whole family to be on trial for witchcraft. They hung my mother and me, as you watched. Then they tortured my father and Clay. Before he died, you came to him, still very angry. He told you about the baby then, and instead of remorse, you became enraged even more at me. You spent the rest of your life chasing witches, convinced that I was responsible for all that happened to you and the death of our child."

Cole was watching her with an appalled expression about him.

"What…What are you saying?"

He was surprised mostly of the calm attitude and the lack of reproach in her voice as she was related this horrible story.

"Simply that after this, you were damned, totally, having fought against witches and killed many even before you were a demon. When you died, the forces down in the underworld saw you as a perfect soul for their new scheme. They had you reborn as a half demon… More or less 850 years ago." 

"But…But how, what?"

Cole was totally floored. How could the same faith hit twice?

Phoebe gave him what she thought was the answer to that unspoken question:

"I think that they believed that you could not be reformed twice, and that the first time you had come so close to killing the charmed ones, that you were the perfect choice for a retry…"

Cole was now staring at her in total disbelief.

Phoebe uttered a little derisive laughter:

"It gets better, it all happened almost exactly in the same manner, except that the Source of the time won in that subsequent lifetime. They killed me, even with all your efforts to save me. You managed to survive, but afterward, you kept on looking for me or rather the form of me that would be reborn. At the time, the only difference with now is that you were still a half demon. Eventually, you found me again, but what you found was not at all what you had expected…"

'The two girls were walking down the dirt street, shamelessly showing their trade as they called to every male passerby. That evening had been very unproductive for them. Usually, men walking this late at night in the town were there for a very obvious purpose, but this night, it did not seem to be the case. Phoebe and Paige looked dejectedly at each other as yet another possible customer went by without bothering to even look at them.

"They act like we have the plague tonight. If we don't find some business soon, we'll go hungry tomorrow…"

Paige still was more reasonable about it.

"Really, we had some good days lately, we'll still eat for a while, stop worrying yourself so much, sister."

"But what if they do think that we are sick? You know how fast bad rumors spread. Or worse… What if someone found out what we really are? We might see the priests coming anytime to take us away."

She was looking around, half expecting to see a posse on the way already.

"Trust me Phoebe, if that were the case, we would not be discussing it. They would be lighting up the bonfire under our feet as we speak."

"Oh please stop, you're giving me chills."

Paige always had a very twisted sense of humor and proved it once more, as she uttered a loud laughter:

"Oh come on, you should be feeling the fires of hell now, not a chill…"

Phoebe turned to her angrily:

"Paige!"

Paige stopped laughing and shook her head dejectedly.

"Oh Phoebe, when are you going to loosen up?"

Phoebe grimaced:

"Oh I don't know, maybe when I find a rich idiot that will take me away from this filth…"

"I guess that it is good to dream…"

"Yeah," Phoebe replied distractedly, as she had spotted a nun coming toward them.

Paige followed the direction of her stare and shrugged irritably:

"Oh what is she doing here again?"

"Obviously, she is going to try convincing us again to come with her. Like I am desperate enough to cloister myself in that nunnery of hers…"

"Here, here," Paige uttered loudly. 

The nun's features were hidden under the hood of her habit, but they did not need to see her face to know who she was. Piper had been coming regularly to them, always trying to get them off the street. 

The fact that she had not been successful until now did not seem to discourage her. 

"Hey Piper, you are a stubborn one," Phoebe called to her, making her big sister jump and look around as if she was afraid that someone might recognize her.

Silently, she then hurried toward her lost sisters. When she was close enough, she started in a low voice:

"Would you keep it down! What if someone working at the cloister was here and saw me? Then they would realize that I am out of the cloister and talking to prostitutes. Trust me, it would not go smoothly with the Reverend Mother.

Phoebe looked totally unconcerned.

"Isn't your clone nicely asleep in your bed?"

Piper did not deign answer this.

"How are you, sisters," she asked instead, as she did every time that she visited them. 

Of course, they never answered this question by a simple polite reply.

"Oh Piper, will you stop this. No matter what happens out here, we are not about to go and flee the world like you have."

"At least, I am safe in there, and do not have to resort in selling my own body to survive."

Paige moved provocatively in front of her.

"Why not? You might even like it."

Piper crossed herself piously, causing her sisters to burst laughing.

"Laugh all you want sisters, but one of these days, you will get hurt. I pray for both of you every day…"

Phoebe looked derisively at her sister:

"Piper, please, you know better than to preach to us. Besides, you are a witch too. If your nun friends ever learned of that, you would not be any safer there than we are here."

Piper knew better than to continue this argument. It was one that they had been cultivating for the last few years. It was a miracle that Phoebe and Paige had survived their hardship, and Piper had no intention of going through this. On the other end, Phoebe had a point. She often dreaded discovery, but just like her sisters, she had been lucky. Ever since their own mother had been burned at the stake, they had been on the run. At first, they had only been kids scrounging for every little pieces of food. 

Piper had been fifteen when the terrible tragedy struck. Her mother had made her promise to take care of her younger sisters, just before sending her away, as they were expecting witch hunters at any moment. It had been sheer luck for them to escape that day. However, she felt that she had failed them and could not help trying every chance she got to save them from this horrible life. Unfortunately, she hit a wall every time. 

She still could not understand how they would prefer this to a life of peace and quiet. Much more than this, their mother had taught them about the principles associated with their being witches. They were supposed to protect the innocent. Who better than a nun could do this?

She realized though that her sisters, Phoebe in particular, resented just about everyone. She was in no way interested in saving whoever, but herself and not even herself that much either. Piper had even imagined often that her sister had died inside, the same day their parents did. 

It was a wonder that she survived this long. Some kind of basic instinct, she guessed.

"Phoebe, if you are so determined to destroy yourself, at least let Paige get a better life."

Phoebe eyed her big sister angrily.

"I did not force Paige into anything!"

Paige reinforced this:

"She did not. Really! I am fine here with her, even though she can be a pain sometimes too…"

The mocking smile dancing on her lips made Phoebe cringe, but she did not argue. Paige knew that both her sisters were easily offended. Yet, she could almost get away with anything. They had protected her from the first, and even though things looked pretty grim, she felt as safe as could be in the circumstances with Phoebe. That was probably why Paige had managed to keep her sense of humor throughout the hardship.

She also knew that of all three of them, Phoebe was the strongest, in spite of the appearances. Piper was the reasonable one, but she had also chosen the life of a nun because it had been easier, safer.

Phoebe refused it because it would have taken away from what she considered her freedom.

"Piper, I love you and all, but your presence alone probably chases the business away," Phoebe said, interrupting Paige's musings. She looked around in turn and spotted a tall man who seemed to be hesitating a little ways down the street. 

"If I can keep even one of those sinners away from you, I'll stand here all night."

Phoebe gave her an exasperated look.

"Don't make me use my powers on you."

Piper opened wide eyes at this, particularly considering that her sister remained very serious. She knew that Phoebe was not the most patient person in the world, but still…

"You would not dare!"

Phoebe took a step toward her.

"Piper, I have been really patient with you. I still think that you took the coward way, and if that makes you feel better, so be it. However, me and Paige need to eat and we won't be able to do that unless we work…"

Piper sighed deeply, closing her eyes in sign of irritation.

"You cannot call what you are doing work. Our mother would turn in her grave if she knew."

This time, Phoebe used a more aggressive tone of voice. Any mention of her mother always exacerbated her mood.

"Our mother, Piper," she growled, "doesn't have a grave. She was burned remember?"

Piper backed off at this point. She knew her sister and her bad temper. She realized that she should have known better than to mention their mother. 

"Alright, I will leave, but please think about what I told you. I don't think that you really can keep doing this for much longer…"

"Do not worry yourself about us Piper. We will manage, won't we Paige?"

Paige smiled weakly, as she was always upset at seeing her sisters fighting. They were her only family.

"Of course we will," she replied, although with a hint of doubt that did not escape Piper' scrutiny. 

Could it be that Paige was not as certain about it than she had said, Piper thought, while giving her sister a quick once over. She could not talk to her now, but she made up her mind that she would try to get to her when she was alone.   
"Fine, I'm going. But I'll be back."

Phoebe sighed.

"Of course."

Piper tried to smile to her little sister, but it came out as a sad half smile. She turned away as usual feeling with even more weight on her shoulders. Each visit to her sisters drove a stake through her heart and she wondered how much longer she could do this without entering a deep depression.

She hurried up, as unlike what she had told Phoebe, she would not have dared stay out all night. The clone that she had created only lasted so long, and she had to be in the room to create it again. If the nuns found out about her escapades, it would not take long before she found herself on the street as well. What good would she be to Phoebe and Paige then? She sighed dejectedly as she speeded up on her way to the convent.

Phoebe watched her sister going then turned back toward where the potential client had been earlier. As she had feared however, he had scrambled away, probably afraid that if a nun saw him there, it would put him in a bad place with God. Phoebe swore angrily. 

"Damn it!"

Paige came to her sister and gently patted her arms. 

"Come on, let's take a break tonight. It's late already, and I'm cold."

Phoebe only then noticed the cold and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

They went toward the corner that they had chosen for the night and huddled there. 

"Can't we make a fire?"

Phoebe turned to Paige:

"Well, let's see." She looked up and down the street, and when she was convinced that no one looked, she motioned toward a pile of dry wood that lied beside one of the now closed stores. In an instant, a good portion of the pile had vanished to reappear at their feet.

Paige smiled happily and waved her own hand over the pile, setting it on fire almost immediately.

To most people, it would have seemed a pitiful set up, but the girls were simply happy to be warm and together. Soon, they fell asleep.

Unbeknown to them, a man had been standing out of sight. He had observed their magic use and was now smiling cruelly.

"Oh yes, it's going to be fun," he uttered, while he started toward them…


	3. Twice in Two Lifetimes (Chapter 2)

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Twice in Two Lifetimes

Chapter II

As night fell, two men on horses were approaching the town, one of them in a priest habit, the other wearing opulent travelling clothes.

The two stopped about five hundred feet from the borough, apparently observing it from afar. The man in civilian clothing turned to the other.

"Hey, are you so certain about this?"

"I told you that they were here."

"So you did…"

"My whitelighter would not say more than this. Moreover, I had to insist even for the little I got, but he was certain of it… If he had known that I was looking for the charmed ones on behalf of a demon…"

"Half demon, and reformed at this. Even the Elders accepted that…"

"So you say…" 

Ignoring the remark, Cole turned to the borough with a deep sigh. He had been looking for a few years already, all the while hiding from any evil agents, and to a certain extent from the Elders as well. Which, of course, was why Leo had his doubts about their acceptance of Cole' supposed reformation. This one had explained to Leo that if the Elders knew of his return, it was greatly augmenting the risk for him to be discovered by the other side. It would not have done, if the underworld learned that he was back. He knew that a few of its inhabitants must have been itching for revenge. Still, at the moment it did not matter all that much. What mattered to him was to see her again, even though, he had also another motive to look for her and her sisters.

"Don't you know yet how important this is to me? I lost her in such a horrible way the last time. So soon…We had dreamt of a lifetime of happiness, but the Source stole it from us."

"Yes Cole, I'm aware of that. You told me many times. And also that you took your revenge on him…"

Cole looked at him dejectedly. 

"If you really think that I told you this as a brag, you are stupider than I thought. Didn't you retain anything of what I told you next? After the charmed ones were no more, me killing the Source only gave free reins to lower demons to take over. Even the brotherhood was dismantled and pushed aside by bands of warlocks and demons… The anarchy reigns in hell, but this infighting is bound to carry over into the world. Trust me on this, the charmed ones are needed more than ever, no matter what your whitelighter and the Elders think…"

Leo gave him a disbelieving stare:

"Oh now, you are saying that we are not looking for her because of your infatuation, but to save the world."

"Leo," Cole replied in a falsely calm tone of voice, "I have been tolerant of your snide remarks until now, but do not forget who you are talking to..."

Leo seemed unimpressed:

"Hum, well, I am not likely to forget."

Cole stared at him for a moment, wondering if he should get angry or just ignore this. 

Leo still had reservations about his companion. However, by now, he knew that his threats were mostly baseless. In a way, he was glad to travel with him. The demon had gotten him out of a few tricky situations already.

Which was why, he had agreed to what his whitelighter called a foolish enterprise. Of course, he had not mentioned Cole at all in his conversations, and if the whitelighter had any inkling about the demon, he never let out. As he watched Cole turning his stare back toward the borough, he thought back to their first encounter. From the first, Cole had not even tried to hide what he was. He had come to him, telling him a fantastic story about how they had known each other in a former life, even fought evil together. Seeing that he had not convinced Leo, Cole returned the next day, but found Leo with a vanquishing potion. Of course, he knew that the potion would be ineffective, as only the charmed ones had the power to destroy him on the side of good. When Leo realized this after a few tries, he began to worry seriously, but Cole left him unharmed every time. Indeed, in the following weeks, the demon had come back to him every day, trying his best to impress on Leo that he was telling the truth. However, when Leo heard of a new witch-hunt, and of the posse coming his way, he finally had agreed to follow Cole. Nevertheless, he could not help wondering on occasion if Cole had not been the one who tipped them off…

Leo had very disturbing memories of the last witch-hunt. He had seen his close neighbors burnt at the stake, while their children had vanished without a trace. No one knew where they had gone, but some had simply said that the parents killed them before they were caught, and then probably buried them in the forest. Leo knew better than this, but had no other explanations except that they probably fled, as he had almost done himself at the time. Cole had struck a nerve not long before they left together, when he told him that he had come to him in order to find these girls and their cousin Prue. Leo had tried to give him the story that most people agreed about, but Cole did not believe it more than Leo had. He was convinced as well, that they had escaped, and assured Leo that he would not rest until he found them.

This had been a year ago, and ever since, they had been searching, while Leo had learned to trust Cole, at least in part. The half demon's actions had forced him to admit that Cole was indeed protecting him. Even more, he seemed anxious that nothing happened to him, seemingly out of some sort of guilt. All Cole had said when Leo questioned him about it was that he felt that he owed it to him.

Afterward, Leo theorized that Cole had failed him in some ways in that former life and felt compelled to repay this debt somehow. This surprised him to no end.

Lost in thoughts, he had not noticed that Cole already started back toward the town. This one called back to Leo impatiently.

"Come on now, if we do not hurry, they will close the town for the night, and I do not want to use magic here…"

Leo was tempted to ask why, but Cole had already pushed his mount to a trot and was moving away quickly.

Cole did not turn back, as he was confident that Leo would follow him shortly. Instead, he tried to focus on the unpleasant sensation that he just had. Something malevolent and strangely familiar was about. He did not want to alert anyone from the other side of his presence, which was why he had no intention of using the shimmering power to enter town. 

******************************************

__

Phoebe had stopped talking, and Cole noticed the jolt that usually came along with a premonition. However, he had to wonder about it, as she had not changed position, or touched anything new.

He was about to question her about it when she turned to him and answered before he asked:

"I just got a response…"

"What?"

From her expression, he knew that she was just as puzzled and wondered some more…

"The Elders just sent me a message of sort…" She stopped for an instant, as if trying to make sense of it.

"They were trying to explain to me why they_ did not warn us about you."_

"What do you mean," he asked, made uncomfortable by the reminder of his darker past.

"Apparently, unlike the Source, who thought that you could not be swayed twice, the Elders thought that there was a strong possibility that you would be. However," she continued rapidly before he could comment, "they feared that telling us about you would simply change the outcome for the worst."

"How so?" He asked then.

"They thought that we were not ready in the first place to hear of your coming. Particularly because the first time, you had almost succeeded as well in killing us…"

Cole arched his eyebrow questioningly, as Phoebe did not have time to give him details on that part of the story yet. However, since she had already told him that most of it was very similar to this lifetime, he had no trouble imagining that he had fallen for her then, as he had this time around. Phoebe confirmed this.

"The Elders thought that if we were too wary, I might never have let you in my heart, and that it might have prevented all the good that was to come next. They also admitted that it would have been pointless to try warning us of any specifics, as the same as the first time, they had not known whom you were until after I found out…"

"Must be true what Leo says that they are not omniscient…"

"Hum…"

Cole and Phoebe just stayed silent, lost in reflection for a long moment. Cole finally questioned:

"Is there a point to that story? What will any of it do to help us though this?"

"I'm not sure yet Cole. Earlier, the vision came to me all at once, and the only thing that stayed clear in my mind at the time was that Clay had to leave. The rest, it is as if they were telling it to me as I am relating it to you. There has to be a reason. Maybe something that we are supposed to understand together…Either way, I am compelled to continue…"

"I would have preferred that we worked out our problems now…"

He said this while twisting his mouth with an uncertain expression.

"Who knows," she said softly, " maybe the answer lies in the story?"

"I would still want you to answer this: will you ever be able to forgive me for what happened?"

She bit her lips without answering, and he understood that she was still debating it. Probably as much as he himself, still worried about Clay…

Yet, there was one thing that he was sure of, and wanted her to know.

"I love you Phoebe, I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"I know," was all she could manage, as she hesitantly lifted her hand toward his handsome face. She wished nothing more than to erase the worry that showed so clearly in his expression. But first, she had to make sense of her own feelings. She left her hand fall back in her lap, and simply sat back, sighing heavily before she continued her tale. This, even as she wondered if she was not using the urge in order to delay the unpleasant discussion. It did not mean however, that the story was in any way more pleasant for her…

*******************************************

The man walked slowly but purposefully toward the girls, his features hidden in the shadows. His dark clothing made him practically impossible to distinguish until he came near the fire. There he stopped and observed them. 

"Yes, a great pleasure this will be…"

When he was satisfied that the girls would not wake up, he closed his eyes and mentally called to another.

"Show yourself, your work is not over…"

Beside him, a woman with dark hair and a lean body wrapped into a dark and tight dress appeared, a cruel smile spread across her lips…"

Turning to her companion, she uttered:

"I see that you found them as I told you."

"Never mind this. Do your best now. I am impatient to begin…"

The woman turned toward Phoebe and Paige, still huddled in front of the fire. She had a moment of hesitation that Reinhart did not fail to notice.

"You will not tell me that you are squeamish now? Remember, Prue, I got what I needed from you, and although I would regret our time together, I will not be saddled with a wimp." His expression and tone of voice told Prue that the threat was not an idle one.

Prue's face changed noticeably, hardening. It was mostly to hide her fear, as she knew that Reinhart could have killed her in a heartbeat. 

Killing them was not what she had a problem with… She hated them. 

A few years back, she had fled the witch hunters with them, but the life that they were forced to live had been too difficult for her. She had tried to convince her cousins that they should use their powers to get a better life. At the time, her own life had already been shattered once after her parents were killed by a demon. From that moment, she had lived with her aunt and uncle, trying her best to adapt and forget. However, after she learned of what had happened to them, the bitterness became deeper. She began to think that humanity was responsible for all of her tragedies. First, by the death of her parents while they were trying to defend it, then by taking her foster parents, because of ignorance. When her cousins showed no sign of wanting to follow her in her new attitude, she decided to provide for them on her own. They were just about the only ones she cared for. However, one day, the girls surprised her as she was choking a merchant magically to obtain food. They had apparently suspected her misuse of magic and followed her that day to see for themselves. Piper had launched at her, appalled, while Phoebe broke the connection by using her energy power against her. 

They had run away from the man and that particular town then, knowing full well that this would bring the priests after them.

Once they had been certain that they were out of reach, they had announced to Prue that they could not continue with her. She had begged them not to leave her behind, but Piper and Phoebe had been inflexible.

"You have chosen the wrong path, Prue. We love you, but we cannot continue to be around you. I hope that you will see the error of your ways one day," Piper had added before she turned her back on Prue, followed by the other two.

At first, Prue had been devastated, and almost tempted to let herself die. She believed that no one cared anything for her. Then, this man, Reinhart, had found her and taken her under his protection. She understood early on that he wanted her for a purpose, but she had nothing else left. 

This attack was to be the last test of her loyalty. In her mind, she visualized the last time that she had seen her cousins. In an instant, the anger and the pain returned fully. Without any more hesitation, she extended both hands toward the sleeping girls…

Reinhart was watching her intently, but suddenly got distracted by a familiar sensation. It had been fleeting but it brought a carnal smile to his lips.

"So," he thought, "I will get satisfaction sooner than I thought…"

At the borough's entrance, Leo and Cole were discussing with a guard, whom was not too keen on letting them in. 

After Cole had tried persuasion, Leo came forward, asking for a charitable gesture toward a man of the cloth. This swayed the man at last, and the moment they were passed him, Leo turned to Cole triumphantly.

"See, I told you that this disguise would help us…"

Cole gave him a falsely annoyed look, then let a mocking smile spread his lips as a thought came to him.

"Leo, you do know, that if the priests find out that you, a witch, used their habit as a disguise, they won't be just happy to burn you. They probably will start by dismembering you, then torture you, and if anything is left of you, then they'll burn it."

Leo took a moment to let this sink, then looked at him with a defiant expression, all the while swallowing uneasily. 

In spite of his resolve not to show Cole that he got to him, he could not help looking around with a hint of worry. Realizing what he was doing, he cast a side look to Cole, but saw that his embarrassment and fears seemed the farthest thing from his mind then.

Cole had only finished his pun, that the sensation came back, stronger and more malevolent than ever. However, he became very troubled when he realized that the other evil had sensed him as well. He immediately closed his mind, but understood that his hiding days might be over. 

Forgetting about his own concerns for the moment, Leo questioned Cole:

"What is it?"

This one just shook his head, as if trying to chase cobwebs. Then he turned to Leo seemingly as calm as before.

"It's nothing. Let us find a place to stay the night."

Leo knew instinctively that the demon was keeping something from him, but he also knew better than to insist. When Cole was in this kind of mood, there was no point. 

Phoebe woke up suddenly, suffocating. She tried to bring her hand to her throat, and she panicked when realizing that her arm would not move. She was paralyzed… All she could do was to open her eyes and look up at the darkened sky. When she tried to scream, she could not utter a sound. She was wondering about a sickness, but before the thought had completely formed, the light from the fire dimmed to almost nothing. Then she saw the face of a man, looking down on her with a cruel smile. Her eyes widened and her panic grew.

He came down toward her, breathing heavily, and he brought a double edge knife in front of her eyes, showing it off as a trophy. That is when she understood that her panic had been more than justified. She recognized the athame almost immediately, and the implication was unmistakable. However, what happened next was worse than anything that she could have imagined, worse than death…

The man trailed the pointed end of the knife on her face, leaving a path of searing pain behind it. Then, he moved his hand in front of her eyes, and when he removed it, his satisfaction was plain to see.

"Yes, that is definitely you. Strange that you will not even know why, but HE will."

Phoebe did not understand the cryptic remark, but still knew that this would not take away from her suffering. Indeed, the man was licking her face where he had hurt her with the knife and then, came up with bloodied lips. He seemed to relish it greatly, to Phoebe utter disgust mixed with a fear, as she had never known. All the while, he had moved the knife down her throat, still pressing it painfully into her flesh. 

"My little mouse," the voice now echoed in her mind, "you will be the instrument of his eternal suffering." Phoebe shuddered at this.

Prue had watched him first going to Paige, but immediately pushing her away, obviously unsatisfied by his examination. Paige now lay on her side, still locked in Prue's magical grip. From there, she had to watch the horror being done to her sister, while she remained powerless to help her.

In spite of Prue's intense anger toward the sisters, the malaise inside grew for every moment, as she saw the demon cutting Phoebe's clothes away and then drawing blood from deep gashes on her breast and stomach. She thought that she could almost hear the silent screams of pain as she watched him molest Phoebe mercilessly, even as this one could do nothing to save herself… The sight was rapidly becoming unbearable.

Phoebe could feel the warmth of her own blood on her flesh, but neither the wounds, nor his disgusting touch equaled in horror to the mental torment. She could feel the demon's mind probing hers, reveling in her fear and pain. Even as he was practically ripping her apart, first with the knife, then entering her violently, he continued to systematically invade all the corners of her mind. She could find no respite, no hope, no release… She wanted to fight back, to free herself, but she still could not move or speak. When she thought that the pain and shame had gone beyond the range of tolerance, the demon raised the knife, obviously ready to give her the last blow. She strangely welcomed it, as death would be a release from this agony, when she suddenly felt the grip on her throat relaxing. It soon came back however, but before the demon could strike, she heard her sister' scream, as he was thrown off of her violently, the shock hard enough for him to drop the athame. In the next instant, she saw a fireball flying over her, obviously directed at the assailant. At the same time, she heard a shout, but could not make out what was said. Then, almost immediately, the hold on her was broken. She could now breathe normally, but the pain kept her pinned down. Paige came by her side with a frightened expression, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. She tried frantically to revive Phoebe, thinking no doubts that she was already dead. When she saw the slight movement of Phoebe's hand however, relief washed over her, and she picked her up, holding her tight against her breast, oblivious to the blood that was still flowing from her sister's wounds. Only then, did Paige notice that Prue was still there, while exhibiting an uncertain expression. Unlike Phoebe, Paige had distinctly heard the demon's words. 

Just after dodging the second fireball, he had turned to Prue with rage in his eyes.

"I'll leave you to the mercy of your peers. Thanks for the help, but you have failed me in the end, and I have no need of a weakling by my side."

He had shimmered out then, without wait.

She had watched Prue make a move toward the disappearing demon, before herself running toward Phoebe. Now, Paige stared at Prue with more anger than she had ever felt in her life. Lifting her hand toward her cousin, she started building another fireball, ready to strike at any false move.

"Prue, how could you?" She screamed at her cousin. "How could you lead this monster to us and help him commit this horror? I had never believed that you were as bad as Phoebe and Piper implied. Now, I know how wrong I was."

Prue stared at her for a moment, the fear mixing with anger still. She had a moment of weakness earlier, just as Reinhart had surmised. It had only been a fleeting moment, but enough to release Paige, which she had then forgotten about. Now, after a bout of confusion, all the anger that she had felt before was returning with a vengeance, as she realized that once more, she was alone because of them, and not likely to find forgiveness with them.

Ignoring the threat of the fireball, she moved quickly toward them, preparing to use her powers again against the girls. Prue was now hoping that by killing them herself, Reinhart would take her back… She was watching Paige, ready to dodge her attack, but was taken by surprise when Phoebe, building up just enough strength, unexpectedly threw the demon's knife at her. In the next instant, their cousin uttered a loud scream of agony and frustration, and then fell to the ground, mortally wounded.

Phoebe fell back against her sister's chest, totally drained. This one let the fireball die in her hand before she again turned her attention toward Phoebe, worried anew that she might have exhaled her last breath. Panicked, she screamed at her to answer. All she got was a moan, but it was enough to tell her that Phoebe was still alive.

"Come on, sis, let me get you to Piper," she then said nervously, as she pulled her sister up, then wrapped her in the old blanket that they used as bedding. Slowly they began to make their way toward the convent, as Paige half-dragged her sister.

Cole was becoming irritated, as they were to their third inn already. The last two had not even opened their doors to them.

By now, they were almost resigned to sleep in the street, but Leo offered to make one last try. Cole shrugged and indicated that he should do whatever he wanted. He, himself, stayed put while watching the man witch go toward the third inn.

Having closed his mind to avoid further detection, he did not feel the demon's approach, and jumped at his sudden appearance before him. Immediately alert, he lifted his hand toward the intruder, but hesitated, as he recognized an old acquaintance from his evil past. Reinhart had been quickly climbing into the brotherhood, even as Cole had undergone his change of heart. However, Cole had it on good authority that the brotherhood had been disbanded after the Source's death. He was still thinking about this when he noticed the blood smeared all over his face, and it caused him to hesitate some more, in wonderment. The slight hesitation was enough for Reinhart to act. 

Cole had finally decided to finish him, no matter what, when he felt a wave of pain course through him, as he had never imagined possible. It was so intense that he fell to his knees, as if stricken. In his mind's eyes, he saw her, Maria, the one he had been looking for. However, her face was contorted by an intense pain, and under the demon' spell, he relived her agony over and over, sapping all of his strength. Reinhart then bent toward him, a cold rage easily visible in his eyes, which effectively contradicted the banality of his next words.

"Beltram! Fancy meeting you here. You have made yourself rare these last few years, but of course, who could blame you."

Through the atrocious pain, Cole could hear the cold voice as much in his mind as spoken aloud. In the terrible vision, he saw the athame rising and coming down toward her. There the vision stopped only to start over, leaving Cole convinced that Reinhart had killed her. He knew that the girl who had been the victim was not Maria, as he knew her, but the one her soul inhabited. However, her inner soul was the same and he saw only the face of the one he remembered.

The demon bent toward him, and as the visions returned, her pain mingled with his own, as he felt the knife that Reinhart had just produced, entering his side deeply. 

By now, however, just as she had, he wished that death would take away the pain. 

This was not to be however, as Reinhart pointed out before shimmering out.

"I want you to live, Beltram, to live with this pain and the knowledge that I will pursue her soul till the end of time. You alone are responsible for the shame that befell me, but know this, I will rise again, and spend eternity tormenting you and your accursed lover…"

Cole understood that the wound Reinhart inflicted him was only meant to slow him down. It had been superfluous however, for the horror he saw stuck him in place. 

Leo was coming back with a renewed frustration, as the third inn had been no more welcoming than the other two. Resigned, he was making his way back toward Cole, when he saw this one from afar facing another man, then falling to his knees as if in agony. Leo hesitated only a second before running toward them, but he did not get there soon enough to prevent the demon from knifing Cole. Pulling his own knife, he prepared to launch at the attacker. However, this one shimmered out before he could reach him.

Leo stopped in his tracks at this, realizing that what he had thought a thief was in fact a demon. Nevertheless, seeing Cole prostrated and unmoving, he started anxiously back toward his companion.

"Cole?"

The demon remained silent, staring downward.

"Cole, what did he do to you?"

Cole finally heard Leo's call and lifted his face slowly toward him. His eyes were filled with tears and the pain that Leo could read in them, he knew was not only physical. This, Cole confirmed with his next words.

"Kill me now, Leo. Please! There is no hope left."

Leo was stunned.

"What?"

"Kill me, Leo. Maybe if I die, she will not have to suffer this horror again."

"Cole, what the hell are you talking about? This is insane."

"I am serious Leo. She just suffered a fate worst than death by my fault. I never want her to endure this again."

"How would you know this?"

However, even as he was asking, he understood how. The demon must have had the ability to transfer all that she had felt to Cole.

Lowering the knife, Leo lifted his head up and called to his whitelighter, not knowing what else to do.

This one appeared and looked appalled at the sight of Cole.

"Who is he?"

Leo ignored the question, but asked one of his own.

"Is one of the charmed ones hurt?"

Marcus looked at him reproachfully.

"Leo, you already got me to tell you too much about them."

"Marcus, I need to know. Is one of the charmed ones hurt," he repeated stubbornly.

Marcus sighed:

"Yes, one of them got hurt, but she will live…" the whitelighter finally answered, his voice trailing at this. Leo noticed it, and also saw the sad expression on the whitelighter's face, which contradicted his encouraging statement. 

Troubled, Leo looked at Cole again, and saw the intense surprise in his eyes. Obviously, he had thought her dead. His intention was to ask Marcus to heal Cole, but he wondered for a moment what would happen if the whitelighter tried to heal a demon. Still, he could not let him suffer like this. In spite of his reservations, he had grown to respect the half demon, and was also grateful for the many times he had protected him.

"Marcus, my friend has been hurt by a demon. Can you heal him?"

Marcus hesitated, then he moved toward Cole. However, this one lifted a hand firmly in front of him.

"No, leave me, I do not need your help."

"You look in bad shape," the whitelighter countered.

"I will be fine, leave me alone," was Cole curt answer. 

Marcus turned to Leo questioningly, but this one shook his head dejectedly.

The whitelighter hesitated, then moved back toward Leo with a very serious expression.

"Leo, you have to stay away from those girls. Whatever your motives were to find them, things have now changed considerably, and the Elders even think of them as liabilities."

Leo was appalled at this:

"What are you talking about? They are the fabled charmed ones, supposed to save humanity from evil, not a danger to it…"

Before orbing out, Marcus added cryptically:

"Not anymore…"

Leo's worries deepened then, but he still turned an irritated gaze toward his companion.

"This was very stupid. Why wouldn't you let him help you?"

"First, Leo, your whitelighter could not heal me completely and he would have understood what I was right away. Then, I am not dying, even if I would want to."

"She's alive, why would you want to die?"

"I told you. If I live, they will torment her because of me. Again, I ask you as a friend, finish me."

Leo exclaimed then:

"NO! That is the coward way. If you die now, they might just continue hurting her, and you will be the only one relieved…"

The anger now showing in the demon's eyes told Leo that he had hit a nerve. He pursued then:

"If you truly meant it when you said that you loved her, you will live and fight by her side. I am not going to kill you."

All the while, Leo was wondering about the Whitelighter's last words uneasily…

As Paige dragged her toward the convent, Phoebe's distress was slowly but surely turning into rage. Darkness as she had never known began coursing through her. She knew deep down that it was wrong, but the atrocious memories continued to burn into her mind, until the darkness had invaded her entire self. Then, she began feeling an intense surge of power… 

By Christine Lemieux/ Justright


	4. Twice in Two Lifetimes (Chapter 3)

****

Twice in Two Lifetimes

Chapter III

_"That is horrible! Why would they even want you to remember this?"_

Cole was stunned. He could easily see how hurtful the memories were to her.

"I sure don't know," she answered hesitantly, "except, of course, that we have not seen it through yet. What is more, we now know that this is directly linked to what happened today…" 

__

"But…"

"It's ok. Maybe there is no way to present it to us other than by showing everything…"

Cole wanted to take her in his arms and try to comfort her, but he was not certain yet how this would go with her.

He also could not help but feeling the guilt that came from it, even though, this had happened so long ago. 

Phoebe sensed his malaise, but she was not ready to deal with it just yet. This was a draining experience to say the least. Moreover, until now the only benefit coming from it was the knowledge that worse had happened to her in the past. It put a new perspective on her current state of mind, at the very least, if it did not resolve anything.

At this point, she felt the need to regroup and picked the first excuse that came to mind to have a moment alone.

"Would you mind making some tea for us? My throat is getting dry."

The request was reasonable, but he knew that she needed a moment, maybe because he did too, feeling the tension all too much. He still wondered what was the point of all of this, as he nodded affirmatively, and then left for the kitchen without a word. Phoebe was right about the connection of course, but it was over now, so why tell them all about it?

He had barely made it in the kitchen, that Coleridge orbed in beside him, startling him.

"Father! I was not certain if you had gotten out alright… I'm sorry that I could not help you myself…"

"It does not matter. Leo took care of it. I'm surprised that he did not tell you…"

"Well, things have been happening very fast. We did not really have time for a recap…"

"So I heard…"

Cole turned his back to him and went straight to the counter to hide his annoyance, and embarrassment. He tried to sound casual when he replied:

"Well, the news travel fast…"

Cole had time to begin preparing the tea, before his father talked again. Coleridge obviously understood the touchy nature of his son's problem.

Still, he did not see many ways to approach the subject, and finally began frankly:

"Leo told me that you seriously overreacted…"

Cole stiffened, but did not answer right away. He had a very nasty reply in mind and it was in no way, flattering for his brother in law. However, he did not want to get upset. At least, not more upset…

Coleridge continued when Cole did not answer:

"Did you try to see her point of view?"

"I apologized already," Cole answered irritably. He still did not deign look his father's way.

"But that was not enough…" Coleridge probed again.

This time Cole turned to him with an angry expression.

"Why shouldn't it be? I gave up everything today, just so that they would be safe in the future. Yet, she was in his arms last night and I'm supposed to accept that!"

"And you still can't." Coleridge replied, more as a statement of fact than a question.

Cole looked angrily at his father, somehow thinking that he was taking her side. Right away though, he realized how ridiculous that was. There was no side. He just could not see things as calmly as his father did.

The thought deflated his anger, but did not take away the anxiety:

"I'm scared, father," he finally admitted.

"You cannot really think that she will leave you, can you?"

"Why not? I am nothing more than this Clay. I am completely human now. What's more, I hurt her badly. I cannot help worrying that she realized she loved him still. Moreover, he has stayed by her side, while she thought that I was betraying her."

This, he had added quickly, as he saw his father ready to protest.

"Maybe you should give a little more credit to your wife. She is not with him now, is she?"

Cole shrugged:

"She is not with me either…"

Coleridge sighed. He knew that all this insecurity stemmed from the brand new situation they both had to face. 

This day, the prophecy had been fulfilled. The future was now totally unknown, not just to Phoebe and Cole, but to all of them. In the bargain, his son had given up on almost everything that he had been until now, only because he thought that her love would be enough for him. Moreover, he had hoped that her love would be strong enough to endure through this ordeal. It was plain to see that Cole did not believe it anymore.

The kettle whistled, and Cole turned back toward the counter, no closer to an answer than he was before.

In fact, he vented to Coleridge about the story as well, as he was pouring the water.

"As if this was not enough, your bosses sent a horrible memory to Phoebe. One that makes me once again guilty of her suffering. Are they purposefully trying to make sure that I'll be out of the picture soon?"

"Hum, maybe you are not seeing this for what it is…First of all, you know that the Elders disagreed with your plan. Leo and I had to go behind their backs to help you. Maybe if I had known their reasons then…"

"What reasons," Cole asked impatiently.

"It worked, didn't it? What can they possibly have against that?" He continued, irritated by his father's belated doubts.

"Don't get me wrong, they are glad that he is dead. However, they see the bigger picture. Which you do not… When you chose to take it upon yourself to do this against their advice, you may just have made things worse, not in the present, but in the future."

"The threat was not in the future, it was now," Cole replied, firmly convinced that he was right on this point.

"All I can tell you," Coleridge answered calmly "is to keep an open mind. You might be surprised…"

Cole gave him a puzzled look, even as he was already picking up the tray, but Coleridge just signaled that he was done talking before orbing out. On his way out of the kitchen, Cole cast one more irritated look to the spot vacated by his father. All the while, he was thinking that Coleridge had spent way too much time with the Elders, and was getting their annoying habit of giving cryptic explanations.

Meanwhile, Phoebe had not been alone for long either…

She was watching Cole leaving when she heard a chime behind her accompanied by a bright flash of light. She expected Leo or Coleridge, but was surprise to find the ghostly figure of her sister instead.

"Prue!"

"Hello sis. I see that I'm just in time to try and put some sense into you," Prue said lightly, a smile plastered across her face in spite of the apparent reproach.

"Prue, if you're visiting only to give me a hard time, come back later, I'm not in the mood." 

"Hum… I know that in the past, we had many unresolved issues, Phoebe. However, you should know by now, that I always had your best interest at heart."

Reluctantly, Phoebe nodded.

"Yeah, you probably did."

"I most certainly did, and this time is no different."

Prue paused… Then she began again, when she was sure that she had her sister's attention.

"You know how difficult it was for me to accept your husband…"

Phoebe shrugged and was about to say something but Prue continued quickly:

"I do not think that anymore. Rest assured. Even if I still think that you could both use a good dose of patience, I understand now that you are doing things with the best intentions. Well, in his case, he recently got better at it," she added, vaguely mocking.

"Prue!"

"Alright. My point is, what you are reproaching him, I can understand, but maybe you should try to see what he wanted to accomplish, rather than think of the means that he used."

Phoebe lifted her eyebrows in astonishment:

"You're defending him now?"

Prue sighed:

"I simply mean that what he did was to help all of you, and you should not be so hard on him about it. He seems to be hard enough on himself as it is…"

"I don't think that you understand, Prue. I can forgive what he did. Nevertheless, how could he not trust in my love?"

Prue could not help replying:

"Maybe, he is asking himself the same question?"

Phoebe looked away, ignoring the last remark, and her thoughts flew back to when it had all started, a little over two weeks ago…

***********

Phoebe had returned home with the joy of her new found power dampened by Paige's ordeal. This one had gone through a lot, and it was only because of a great strength of character that she seemed to be coming back from the trauma now. However, at the time, she had needed a lot of encouragement, and her sisters spent a large amount of time by her side. Meanwhile, the men had apparently used the time to concoct that plan of theirs, unbeknown to the charmed ones. Cole had already demonstrated a certain jealousy, however irrational, toward Clay, but in the next few days, this became a real problem. Made even worse when, unexpectedly, Clay dropped by the Manor while Phoebe was visiting. She had been stunned to see him after all these years, but Clay told her that he had found himself in town and simply wanted to see how she was doing. 

Things had gotten eerie when Cole had come into the manor and seen the man he had just been so worried about… From the first, he was less than pleasant around Clay, but when this one offered a dinner for the three of them, Phoebe agreeing to it seemed to outrage him.

Phoebe had not seen the wrong in it. In fact, she had thought that it would be an occasion for Cole to see that he was overreacting. Nevertheless, he became so upset with it that Phoebe just told him off, which she soon regretted, but not before she had accepted to go with Clay alone, in a gesture of defiance. 

That dinner should still have been the end of it, but Clay came back the next day with flowers, meeting Cole at the door. If Phoebe had not been there, she was certain that they would have come to blow, so angry, Cole seemed. By then, her resolution to be mellower about his mood flew out the window, and she blew him off again, only intensifying the anger and resentment between them. 

The worse part was that Clay witnessed the fight, in Phoebe's opinion, hurting Cole's ego even more by being there.

That day, Cole had stormed out of the house and not returned till late. 

Clay, on the other hand, had stayed behind and comforted her as a friend would, or so it seemed to Phoebe then. Later on, she was to understand that Clay had other ideas in mind. However, by then, she was ready to throw the towel with Cole. 

Although Cole confounded himself in apologies for every outburst at first, which were numerous, Phoebe was convinced that he held her responsible for Clay's insistence. When Clay came back at the end of that first week, it ended in the ugliest scene. Cole went off right away, apparently convinced that Phoebe had invited Clay because she had second thoughts about him, and no amounts of protestations calmed him down that night. He became so enraged that just before he left for the last time, and to Phoebe's utter dismay, he turned toward Clay and tried to attack him with his powers. To prevent the worst, she had used her own new power on him, and he had turned against her, angrier than she had ever seen him before, even when he was in his Belthazor form.

For a moment there, they had stated at each other with such fury, that she believed all the love that they ever had vanished in that instant. 

Picking himself up from the hit, he looked at her one last time and totally floored her when he shimmered out.

This had been the last thing she had expected. No matter how angry, she could not have imagined that he would revert to his demonic self. Yet, there it was.

Devastated, she had spent the next few days in total despair, supported the best they could by her sisters, but mostly by Clay. At first, she had still been uncomfortable with him, hoping against all hopes that she had been mistaken, and that Cole would come back, as he had been. 

This was when the unimaginable happened… Coleridge came home and offered to try finding Cole and to reason with him. Although, she did not witnessed what happened herself, Piper and Leo went with him to the mausoleum, where as they said, it might be a good start to find Cole. When they got there, he was not around, but after calling him a few times, Coleridge managed to raise him, according to Piper. 

A loud and unpleasant discussion had followed, which had ended in the most horrible way. No amount of arguments had swayed him, and in the end, he had become so upset with them, as Leo had entered the discussion as well, that he tried to throw an energy ball at him. By reflex apparently, Coleridge had put himself between them and received the hit fully. Normally, this should not have mattered, but Cole seeing the orbs apparently had an idea. Piper had no clue how exactly, but instead of reconstituting, as Coleridge normally would have, Cole brought all the orbs that were his father toward him magically, and trapped him in some sort of glowing ball. Piper had been too stunned to worry, but seeing Leo's horrified expression, she had understood that something terribly wrong was happening.

"Well, well. I was just wondering how I could get into the good graces of the Source. No more goodie two shoes… I have been acting crazy long enough…"

He had shimmered right then with the glowing globe in hand, leaving both Leo and Piper in utter shock.

Upon returning home, Leo explained to Phoebe, and incidentally to Clay who was there again, that Cole had trapped his father' soul. There was no doubt in his mind that he would offer this to the Source, completing the return to evil that he had started a few days earlier. 

Phoebe had still been incredulous, but when neither Cole nor Coleridge returned, she had to admit to the awful truth. 

The last day before it all came to a head, Leo came to them with a vanquishing potion recipe and a spell against the Source and Cole. He told them that he had found them in the book. By now, Phoebe knew that he had been the one putting them in it. He had been adamant about this because he feared that Cole would not wait long before using his knowledge to come after them.

Although, Phoebe had protested at first, the others convinced her that no matter the reasons, Cole had gone over the deep end. That night, she had been more depressed than ever, watching her baby and wondering how she could have lost the man she loved so quickly. They had been so much in love. How could he have given up on them so easily, she was questioning, as Clay had come to her. He had taken her to her bedroom, where she had broken in tears in his arms. She had let him kiss her because she needed to feel alive, even as a part of her was dying inside. Unfortunately, according to Cole's side of the story, it was when he had found himself unable to resist seeing her. 

By then, he had almost convinced the Source of his loyalty. He had told him what he wanted him to know, assuring him that if there was a time to hit the charmed ones, it had to be now. In spite of his doubts, the Source had agreed that they should act before the charmed ones returned to their full power. The condition had been however, that he would use Cole as a vessel, so that if this one were to betray him, he would take his immediate revenge. What's more, the Source had surmised that if there was any trick, they would not vanquish Belthazor. Cole had counted on it… It had been some work to persuade the Source even to listen to him. However, as Coleridge had predicted, bringing a whitelighter' soul, particularly Cole's own father's, had been a strong point in his favor. Cole and Leo had protested vehemently against this part of the plan, but Coleridge had insisted that without a solid proof of his change of heart, Cole would be risking his life with almost no chance of success.

If this part of the plan had been tricky, the other part turned out to be almost impossible. 

Cole had known from the start that it would be hard, but hurting her like this on purpose had been close to unbearable. Not to mention the horrible sensation that it was to let Belthazor surface again. When he came to see Phoebe that night, the demon in him almost turned it into a tragedy. He had shimmered directly into their bedroom and lied in wait. His intention had been to come and see her, but he had resigned himself to stay out of sight, as it could have made all that she and he had suffered through useless. When he had seen her crying, his heart had sunk, but that had mixed with anger that Clay would be the one with her. His anger had turned to rage when Clay had kissed her. The urge to hurt them had been so powerful that it was shaking from the contained rage that he had shimmered out before he did something he would regret. Then, up until the moment chosen by the Source for the attack, he had turned this image into his mind, trying to make sense of it, to rationalize. By moments, he would see it for what it was, her need for comfort, which he could not be the one giving her. Nevertheless, most of the time, he felt a terrible fear inside. "What if I have lost her?" he was asking himself. And even more often, this question: "How could she have replaced me so quickly?" 

In the heat of the attack, it had been a saving grace for his plan, as the Source had believed his anger to be a confirmation of his new allegiance. However, afterward, when he should have just been happy that it was over, all the resentment exploded on both sides…

**********************

__

"Phoebe?"

This one realized that she had been lost in thoughts.

"Yes, sorry…"

"I lost you there for a moment. Was it that story again?"

Phoebe frowned and questioned somewhat suspiciously:

"What do you know about that?"

"Oh, well, they kind of let me have a peak," she replied uneasily, looking up.

Phoebe knew exactly what made her sister uncomfortable, and it brought a half smile to her lips.

"At least, this finally told me that I was not the only one with a dark past."

"It was a long time ago," Prue protested mildly.

Phoebe' smile widened.

"Still…"

"Alright, alright, I got it."

The thought of what had happened then rapidly erased the budding smile on Phoebe's face, however.

Prue watched her unhappily:

"I'm very sorry that you had to remember such terrible things…"

"Why," Phoebe questioned suddenly. "Why is it that they thought I needed to see that?"

In spite of what she told Cole, she wondered as well why the Elders would give her such horrible memories…

"You are not seeing the big picture, Phoebe. Maybe because you have to see this through, just like you told your husband…"

The mention of Cole brought Phoebe right back to her problem.

"Yeah…" she replied unhappily.

"Phoebe?"

"I don't know where we are going from here…"

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I do, with all my heart."

"Then, it should not be so difficult."

"He should not have doubted my love…"

"Are you sure that this is why you are so angry?"

Phoebe gave her another suspicious glance.

"What else could it be," she questioned.

"Maybe, it is because you are worried about your own mistrust of him…"

"I trust him…" Phoebe's voice trailed, as she realized that there was some truth to it. She had been so angry with him, and yet even more so with herself, she realized now. She had promised to love him and to share the bad and the good with him. Yet, when he had become jealous of Clay, instead of trying to understand it, she had become outraged at his actions, and totally unforgiving. Then, when he had apparently turned against her, she could not help worrying at how quickly she believed he had. She knew that her worries were irrational, but there was no turning them off.

"You are wondering if you love him as much as you thought, considering your reactions, aren't you?"

Phoebe shrugged, unwilling to tell her sister how on target her comment was.

"No one asks you to be perfect, Phoebe. Loving someone doesn't blind you to everything they do either. I am sure that Cole will see that, as long as he knows that you still love him."

"He thinks that I betrayed him too…"

"Maybe that is not why he is so worried Phoebe. You are faced with a brand new situation. The future is unclear from now on, and he might also be afraid that you will not love him as much now that he has lost his powers…"

Phoebe protested vehemently:

"That is ridiculous. I never…"

"I am not the one who needs to be convinced, Phoebe."

The steps in the hallway had her looking the other way, and when she turned toward her sister again, this one had vanished. Phoebe had a movement of irritation at this, but Cole's return distracted her.

"Here," he said, while depositing the tray on the low table.

"I hope that it tastes like the real thing. I must admit that I am not exactly the kitchen type," he added with an uneasy smile.  
This comment told her that maybe Prue had not been far from the truth. She wanted to tell him that it did not matter to her. Yet, she was still unsure about many things, and did not feel ready to have this discussion now. So, as much as she would have wanted to reassure him about the way she felt, she decided to give herself more time.

"I'm sure that it will be just fine," she answered, almost flatly.

They both fell silent then, lost in unpleasant thoughts.

"What if their love could not survive this?"

Phoebe for her part, wondered if her mistrust of him had been a sign that they had already lost the wondrous and unconditional passion that had brought them together.

Unwilling to face up to this question, she let herself be invaded again by the memories sent to her in the vision. As painful as they were, they kept away the difficult task of rebuilding what she feared was lost.

********************

Paige worried that the nuns would turn them down, but at this point, she had to get some help. Her sister had lost so much blood already. Strangely however, as they progressed toward the convent, she realized that Phoebe seemed to lean less and less on her. Looking at her, she seemed just as hurt, but not as weak as she might have expected. She put this on the fact that Phoebe probably tried to be strong for her, as she had always done, and pushed on. 

Leo pulled Cole up, urging him on. 

"Come on, we got to get this wound looked at. If you do not want to be healed, that is your problem, but I won't let you bleed to death on the street."

"I will live," Cole said somberly.

"Yes, you will," Leo replied decisively, "because I won't let you give up…"

Leo tried to help him onto the horse, but Cole shrugged him off irritably.

Leo lifted his hand in sign of resignation, but that did not keep him from questioning.

"Who was that," he asked, moving toward his own mount while Cole climbed painfully on the horse.

"That was an old acquaintance of mine. One who obviously holds a grudge…"

Cole stopped himself, and realized how trivial that sounded in comparison to what he had just seen. Tears of pain and rage came to his eyes again. It was all his fault. She would never have suffered this agony if he had died with her the last time. Cursing himself simply for being alive, he looked down toward the athame that he had kept at his belt. 

"What if I just ended it myself?"

The thought had barely formed in his mind that Leo came beside him, and swiftly removed the weapon before he could do a thing about it.

"Oh, No you don't. You heard what Marcus said. She is alive, and you should concentrate on finding her and keeping her that way. That is, after this wound has been treated…"

Cole gave him a dejected look:

"What is all that? Not that long ago, you wished me dead…"

Leo picked up the reins before answering this, while looking ahead.

"Well, a man can change his mind. At least, for the moment," he added, as an afterthought.

Cole let Leo lead them away, but soon wondered:

"Where are we going?"

Leo sighed.

"Well, since no Inn will open for us, I see only one solution. We will go to the church and tried to find a priest who would help us…"

Cole jumped at this.

"Are you insane? Don't you realize the danger?"

Leo turned toward him without slowing the mounts.

"I realize the danger… However, I would imagine that you won't betray my little secret, and if you don't, neither will I…"

Paige helped Phoebe on a wooden bench by the convent, then she went and banged loudly on the large wooden doors. After a long wait, and many tries, a nun finally cracked the door opened, and looked horrified at seeing Paige there.

"What are you doing here? Return to the street, whore. We do not want your kind here."

"My sister is hurt," Paige replied, ignoring the all too familiar insult, " she needs help…"

The nun gave her a severe look and was about to close the door on them when Paige told her, out of desperation:

"I know one of your nuns, she will vouch for us…"

Angry, the nun crossed herself:

"How dare you? None of us would have anything to do with the likes of you…"

"She is our sister, I swear. Please, have pity, for the love of God…"

The nun hesitated, torn between her intense desire of sending these sinners away, and the charity that was her calling. 

"Who would it be?"

"I think that you call her sister Agnes…"

Somehow, this did not surprise the nun. That one had always been strange. 

"Go around the back, I will let you in the kitchens. Nowhere else though, be warned. I'll fetch your sister, if she really is your sister…"

"I swear to you, she is…"

The door closed with a loud thud. Paige jumped a little at the noise, but soon went to get Phoebe and hurried toward the back. There, it took another long moment before someone came, and Paige worried that they had changed their mind.

Finally, it was Piper herself, who opened the door to them… The reproaches that were so obvious in her eyes died off when she saw Phoebe.

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"God had nothing to do with it, the devil maybe…"

Piper did not need more. Although, it was rare, they had met a few demons and warlocks. Luckily for them, all of the ones they fought in the past had succumbed to their magic quickly. From the look of Phoebe, this one had been another story.

"Come on, Phoebe," she said anxiously, as she helped Paige carrying her inside. The nun that had been at the front door was already boiling water and looked dismayed at the sight of Phoebe's wounds.

She averted her eyes quickly however, as she realized that the girl was naked under the dirty blanket.

"For the love of God, cover her. Have you no shame?"

"With all due respect, mam," Paige said irritably, "I do not think that this is her biggest problem at the moment."

The nun flinched, but said nothing. 

Piper went to fetch some clean cloths, and began cleaning the wounds. Only then, did she notice the harshness in her expression, even as her face contorted in pain. In her eyes, she could read anger like she had never seen. 

"Phoebe, I'm so sorry. I wish…"

She stopped at the glare that Phoebe gave her. She felt it like a punch in the stomach. Once again, she had failed them, and this time it might cost her sister's life.

After she completed the task of bandaging the wounds the best she could, she pulled Paige aside.

"What happened?"

Paige gave her an account of the attack the best that she remembered, and Piper looked at her with mounting horror. 

"Prue? She helped?" She asked in total disbelief. No matter what she knew of her cousin, she had pain comprehending how she could have stooped so low."

Paige gave a look to her stricken sister before continuing:

"She won't do this anymore…"

Piper gave her another questioning look.

"Phoebe killed her."

Piper was startled by this revelation, but also worried that the other nun might have heard. She understood why Phoebe had done it, but she did not think that the other nuns would. Reassured that no one else heard she reported her attention back to Paige.

This one finally asked anxiously:

"Is she going to be ok?"

Piper sighed:

"I don't know…"

Even as they watched, the nun came to cover Phoebe with a thick gray blanket, and she seemed to fall into an uneasy sleep, no doubts troubled by nightmares that they did not want to imagine.

Piper brought a chair up to the table where she rested, and stayed with her the rest of the night, while Paige crouched in a corner, exhausted…

Reinhart was observing them from another corner, in a shadow form. He had been tempted to finish the job, but something emanating from Phoebe told him to wait. In that instant, he saw another way to exert his revenge. And how ironic it would be…

__

By Christine Lemieux/ Justright


	5. Twice in Two Lifetimes (Chapter 4)

****

Twice in Two Lifetimes

Chapter IV

****

Phoebe was facing the man again, but this time, she felt empowered. 

The urge to torture him, to make him suffer greatly was irresistible.

He looked unconcerned however, until she materialized the knife and smiled confidently. Then she saw the hint of fear that she was waiting for. It felt so good to know that he was the one trembling before her. Nevertheless, before she could move toward him and act upon her impulse, the scenery changed. She found herself once more the victim, once more the one scared out of her mind.

She wanted to scream, but could utter no sound. This horror seemed to be coming back over and over. No matter how hard she tried to get out of it, there seemed to be no end to the nightmare.

That is until she opened her eyes, and saw the dark wooden ceiling over her. It seemed weird, as she was used to sleep outside in the open by now. Maybe that was why she had dreamt of suffocating? Only then, the pain reminded her that it had not been just a nightmare. She tried to shake her head to chase away the memories, but only succeeded in eliciting a wave of nausea.

As the malaise receded, she tried again looking around, finding her big sister dozing by her side. She obviously had spent the night there, and she should have been grateful for her devotion, but all Phoebe could feel now, was resentment. She knew that it was not fair to Piper, but she could not help it. She lied back slowly, every movement increasing the pain. She had the impression that her entire body was a giant wound. Yet, she seemed to remember a time last night where it was not nearly as bad. What was it that had made the relief possible? 

Before she could remember this, Paige's anxious voice caught her attention:

"Phoebe, you're awake!"

Phoebe could not see her yet, but it was easy to imagine the worried expression on her sister's face. If she looked half as bad as she felt, her appearance must have been truly disturbing.

By reflex mostly, she wanted to reassure Paige. Phoebe was the one who had taken it upon her to protect Paige, not the reverse. Still, she muttered her first words, at best.

"It's ok Paige…"

Paige came into her field of vision and, as she had imagined, she seemed afraid.

"It's ok, I will be fine," she said again, this time more firmly, but knowing that she did not feel fine at all.

"Oh Phoebe, you scared me. I thought that was it, last night."

At these words, the memories of her ordeal came back flooding her mind, accompanied by an awful sensation of helplessness. She thought that she could see the face of the monster still in front of her, as if juxtaposed over her sister's features. Then the anger came back. That is when she knew what had done the trick before, because the anger seemed to alleviate the pain. 

"Phoebe?"

This was Piper, awakened by the voices.

"How are you," she asked with deep concern in hers.

Phoebe did not turn to her, nor answer. Instead, she let the darkness come inside once more. Paige saw her eyes hardening, and she took a step back.

"Phoebe?"

She did not know what to think, but just imagined that she was angry, no more. Paige would be too, in the same circumstances.

"Look, I know how you must feel…"

Ignoring the pain, Phoebe sat straight up:

"No you don't," she said harshly. "You have no idea how I feel."

Piper moved toward her, putting a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Phoebe, you will hurt yourself more."

Phoebe took her hand off rudely, and glared at her.

"You goodie two shoes, you coward, how would you know anymore than she does. You have been hiding in this place. Leave me alone, both of you."

Both of her sisters were staring at her in dismay. With the ordeal she had been through, she should have needed their comfort, not rejected it so blatantly. Neither knew what to do, as Phoebe gathered the blanket about her, and slowly moved to stand up, apparently oblivious to her wounds. 

The floor felt cold, as her bare feet met with it, but she soon ignored this as well. In her mind, a voice echoed, a hated voice… The man was taunting her.

"You hate me, I know. Well, hate me. Hate me all you want. It will make you stronger, better. Use the power of hatred…"

The more he talked, the stronger she felt. For all those years of misery, he offered that it was the innocents whom she was supposed to protect, who had caused it.

"They killed your parents, pursued you as a monster. Are they any better than I am? At least, I do not pretend to be good."

In a twisted way, it made sense to Phoebe. It did not keep her from wanting him dead, however.

"Come to me," he pursued relentlessly. "I will offer you the world on a platter, so that you can hurt it as much as it hurt you…"

Piper was trying to get her attention, as her sister seemed lost somehow. What really struck her however, were the obvious physical changes that seemed to take place. Phoebe stood straighter, as if the wounds did not bother her anymore, and if fact, as she watched, one of the wounds, which had not been bandaged, healed in front of her eyes.

"What," she exclaimed, totally confounded.

Piper turned to Paige, wondering if she was seeing it as well. This one did not have to say a word, as her eyes had widened in surprise. 

"That's not possible," Piper continued. Phoebe was still ignoring them, apparently transfixed. 

Meanwhile, she could still hear the voice, at once pleading and authoritative. 

"I'll heal your wounds, I'll give you a life without suffering. Only powers…"

In her mind, she answered:

"I'll kill you."

"You will try…Come to me," he said again, and this time, Phoebe felt the power. It mounted inside of her like a dark wave, strong, seductive. It took away all the pain along with all other feelings save for hatred and anger.

That was all she needed, she now believed.

She looked back at her sisters and found them pitiful. They did not know the power that she could wield. They did not have it in them to do so.

As Piper watched her still, she saw her eyes becoming noticeably darker, hard as she had never seen in her sister. Phoebe had been a tough one all her life, but never this cold and hateful. 

"Phoebe, what is happening to you," she asked, the fear coming through in her voice. 

Phoebe finally looked at her directly:

"This is no longer your concern, sister," she uttered deliberately, with such disdain and coldness that Piper felt her heart sink.

Before she could say anything else, Phoebe blinked out under Piper and Paige's astounded expressions.

In the corner, Reinhart' shadow form dissipated quickly after this…

Cole only allowed the priest to bandage his wound before he tried to go back out, to Leo's dismay.

By now, Cole had time to think about it, and he was convinced that Reinhart would go after her again. At first, Leo' suggestion of finding her and protecting her had sounded wrong to him. He thought that she would know how responsible he was for her pain, and hate him for it. Still, he knew deep down, that the true guilty party was the monster who committed the atrocity. What he had to do then, was to prevent it from happening again.

"I can't risk being too late, Leo!"

"We have no idea where to look."

"Nevertheless, I have to try."

He was tempted to throw caution to the wind and use his powers right then, but he reasoned that if he did, he would only bring more enemies about. This would not help her in the least. Not to mention that the priest was looking at them strangely already…

"And what if he comes back? You are too weak to fight him…" Leo asked for the second time since they had arrived at the church.

Cole had assured him that he would only come if he had gone back to her and hurt her more. In his mind, this time the girls would be ready, and for the time being, would protect themselves. At least, that is what he hoped for, and what he told Leo. As for the need to defend himself, he had no doubt that Reinhart had meant it, when he said that he wanted him alive. The only real danger would be what he might do to Leo. 

"You should think of protecting yourself. Trust me, he will not do a thing to me. He will rather enjoy seeing me suffer," he added bitterly.

The priest came forward at this, his curiosity picked:

"What are you two talking about?"

Leo turned to him quickly:

"Nothing to concern you, Father."

The priest seemed unconvinced:

"It sounded to me like someone is after you. Shouldn't you notify the Baron? He could send his soldiers after this bandit. Threatening a man of the cloth is a severe offense. Let me send a messenger to him..."

Leo reacted nervously:

"No, Father, it's ok, we will take care of this. If necessary, we will go to the Baron ourselves."

The priest eyed him curiously, but did not protest to Leo's utter relief.

Now, he was just as impatient as Cole to leave this place. They certainly did not need to get the attention of the authorities on themselves.

"Thank you very much for all your help. Me and my companion will be on our way."

"It's still dark outside. You should at least stay here for the night. Your friend was badly hurt…"

Cole answered this one:

"Don't worry Father, I am stronger than I look…"

Cole and Leo took leave of the priest and went out of the church quickly. Leo sighed in relief when they were outside.

"You took a big risk," Cole told him, as they were mounting the horses.

"Don't mention it," Leo answered distractedly. At this point, he only wanted to put some distance between him and the church.

They were doing just that, when Cole felt it again. The same malevolent sensation as he had had earlier before coming into town. Looking back, he realized that it was very close, seemingly coming from a building adjacent to the church.

Leo had already gone a little way when he noticed that Cole was not following him. Impatiently, he looked back:

"Hey, I thought that we were agreed to leave this area?"

He realized then that Cole was not paying attention to him at all. 

"Are you feeling ok?" He asked again, wondering if the wound was not bothering the demon more than he had said.

Cole turned back toward him with a worried expression.

"He is still around."

Leo was immediately alert, and he looked about nervously. He knew without being told, whom Cole was talking about...

"Where?"

Cole hesitated, confounded.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, he is inside this nunnery…"

"What?"

"Do not ask me, I do not understand either. However, I will not leave until I am certain."

Leo rolled his eyes irritably:

"That's it. Before, you wanted to die, now you want me to die?"

"We will stay out of sight, Leo. I just need to know what he is doing there."

This time he had been cautious, and was convinced that Reinhart did not know of his presence. Although, he still believed that it would not matter either way. Reinhart would not hurt him. At least, not more than he had.

Tying the horses behind a building, on the opposite side of the dirt path, Leo and Cole settled to wait in a darkened corner. Cole was tempted many times to go and knock on the door that night, but he knew that the nuns would not be likely to let a man in. Particularly not in the middle of the night… Throughout the long night, he felt the malevolent presence. It seemed that just as they, Reinhart was lying in wait for something. In the early morning, Cole got a hint as to what it was.

He had almost dozed off in spite of the sharp pain that came back regularly from the wound, but became completely awake when a new sensation invaded him. This was different. Just as evil, but not from the same source. Yet, it also came from inside the convent. 

Concentrating as much as he could, he seemed to sense hesitation in this new evil. As if it was still in the balance… Then suddenly it was gone, soon followed by Reinhart. Leo had fallen asleep, exhausted by the night's events and the long trip. Cole shook him awake rudely, as he felt that something terribly wrong had happened.

"What?"

"Something happened." He answered, "and I believe that it doesn't bode well either for us or for Maria."

Before Leo could question him about it, Cole stood up and started toward the nunnery, apparently no longer concerned by discovery.

Leo watched his companion with a dejected expression for a moment. Then, sighing, he got up and followed Cole.

*******************

__

Phoebe stopped and breathed deeply. She was floored by the intensity of her former self's hatred. She could hardly believe how quickly she had turned her back on good.

Full of questions, she turned to Cole, but found him distractedly playing with a business card. She recognized the card that Clay handed to her earlier.

Cole seemed to realize only now that she had stopped talking, and he turned to her at this point.

"What is it?"

"I should ask you," she uttered curiously, as she pointed to the card.

He seemed slightly embarrassed at this.

"I was thinking," he replied hesitantly.

"About what?"

He deliberately put the card beside the now cold cup of tea on the table.

"That maybe you were right to go to him," he answered in one breath.

"What? You cannot mean that."

"Don't I? After all, I might not be the best choice for you. Look at all the pain I caused you already. What if worse is in store for you in the future?"

"I cannot believe that you are saying this. 

After all that we have been through, now you want me to go to him," she asked, astounded and saddened.

"No!" He exclaimed, but then, he continued, trying to sound more reasonable than he felt.

"I do not want you to, but if it is what is best for you…"

"How dare you," she exclaimed in turn, disbelief mixing with irritation.

"I never meant to leave you…"

"It did not look like it last night," he replied bitterly, looking away from her.

"I thought that you understood…"

"Oh I understood that it was only one of those moments, yes. However, it does not mean that he is not the one for you. Maybe, all the pain that we went through was too much…"

She wanted to tell him that she did not care, that none of it mattered to her. Yet, she was angry that he would give up so easily. She realized that she had preferred the jealousy to this apparent resignation.

Her silence hurt him more than anything she could have said. He had given up a lot this day to protect her and her sisters, yet he now saw that it did not give him the right to presume of anything. First of all, in hindsight he could see that his anger and resentment had put her and her sisters in more danger than he had ever intended…

In the underworld, the Source had come to him one last time before they went to the house.

"I hope that you are ready Belthazor. The time is now."

The Source's arrival startled Cole, and even more so, the haste in which he planned to act. He wondered worriedly if Leo had time to prepare for this appropriately. However, he no longer had the luxury to worry about it. The horrible sensation of being taken over started almost immediately, and Cole barely managed to stay on the surface, so overpowering was the malignance of the Source inside of him. He knew that his anger allowed the demon to stir his evil ways more than they should have been, but he could not help the feeling from eating him up. 

In spite of his malaise however, he had realized something that he had never suspected about the Source.

"Raynor?" He exclaimed, in total surprise.

"Yes, my boy. You did not think that you could kill me so easily now did you?"

For all those years, he had seen the Source glamour in so many different forms that he had come to believe him not to have a human form of his own, unlike other upper level demons. He would not have needed it. Now, however, the surprise was compounded by the fact that he had believed Raynor dead for over two years…

Even more so, by the fact that his connection to the Source had run deeper than he ever imagined…

"I see that you still have a lot to learn, Belthazor. Do not worry, after we killed the Charmed ones, we will have time to talk about it, now that you have returned to me…"

Cole felt something more then, something even more puzzling. He knew that the Source resented him deeply for his betrayal. Yet, the underlying hatred that he felt seemed to run much deeper. Even as they shimmered back in the world, he continued wondering about it…

Cole found himself in their baby's bedroom, and it startled him some more. He had not wanted Jason to be involved in any way into this mess. The Source felt his reticence and struggled some more to gain control completely, as he pushed Cole to go toward the crib and his sleeping son.

"You must have nothing left of this world, Belthazor. This baby cannot bring you out of ours, ever. Kill him, then we will take care of the Charmed ones for good."

The Source knew that killing such innocence would complete his turnaround. However, he had underestimated Cole's love for his son, or so it seemed to Cole. As much as his anger had given a hold to Raynor over him, the fear for his son brought back his resolve to be good. Unbeknown to the Source, he had kept something deep inside, something that was supposed to help him in this moment. All he had waited to use it was that the girls were around and ready to act. However, faced with the danger to Jason, he had to show his hand sooner than expected. Fortunately for him, Leo had come to check up on the baby, and seeing Cole there, he knew that the time had come. Hurriedly, he orbed downstairs, still unseen by Cole and the Source, warning the girls, who were all in the kitchen. His warning had almost been useless as the sounds from a violent struggle came to them almost simultaneously. This worried Leo and he picked up the potion that he had them prepare, orbing back toward the baby's bedroom.

Meanwhile, Cole had been looking deep inside himself, digging for what he had kept away from the Source and himself until now.

When he had transformed into Belthazor again, he had taken care of keeping the essence of the Archangel inside, hidden with his love for his family. While in the underworld, whenever he had faltered or felt the pull of evil becoming too strong, he could contemplate this part of him, however fleetingly. Now, he intended to use it to weaken the Source enough that they could vanquish him at last.

Stopping only mere feet from the crib, he began struggling to bring back the archangel to the surface. The Source reacted immediately, trying to escape when he understood what was happening, but Cole held on to his essence, even as the struggle became more difficult between his evil self and the archangel. He had underestimated the anger that he felt, and it made the transformation almost impossible. When Leo came back, he saw the strangest of spectacle. Cole was still there, in his demon form. However, he seemed to be flickering between the demon and the archangel. But stranger of all was to see Cole throwing himself about in the room, toppling pieces of furniture in the process. Throughout this, Leo thought that he could see the sinister form of the Source, as a shadow, which was trying to escape. He waited for as long as he could, while still hoping that Cole would succeed. The girls were running up the stairs and then burst into the room, stopping short at the incredible spectacle.

Phoebe was the first to move toward Cole, mostly worried about the baby.

"No Phoebe, wait…" Leo uttered nervously.

"Are you insane, my baby is there…"

"Please, Phoebe, you got to trust me on this."

However, even as he was saying this, he could see that Belthazor appeared to be winning. Hesitantly, he lifted the hand with the potion, ready to strike. 

Piper exclaimed, almost in a panic:

"What are you waiting for?"

This brought the demon's attention to them, and Belthazor looked at Leo directly. 

He seemed in great pain. With some obvious effort, he uttered:

"Do it!"

Leo knew that Cole would not have said so if he had believed that it was still possible to save him. Without any more hesitation, he threw the potion at him, even as he turned to the girls imperatively.

"Chant the spell! Now!"

The girls however, were too stunned to react immediately.

As soon as the potion hit Cole, he burst into a wall of flames, from which a shadow seemed to move out with difficulties. The shadow took form and they soon could see Raynor, in his human appearance. This one was almost folded in two, obviously still in pain. As the flames dissipated, they could see Cole's human form falling to the floor heavily, barely conscious. Phoebe almost ran to him, but then she saw Raynor pulling himself up painfully, building a fireball in his hand. Only his slight hesitation as to the target saved the situation.

He seemed to be pondering whether to kill Cole or the baby, and the girls finally started the chant.

"From the deep recesses of Hell,

Reigning on the Darkest, you dwell,

By Three, our powers will be set upon thee,

Banished Forever, Must this evil Be!"

For a moment there, the girls thought that their spell had no effect, as the Source simply stood still, and the fireball kept building in his hand. Then suddenly, the said fireball seemed to turn toward him. An intense fire built up from it, engulfing the Source, as he screamed in agony, waking up Jason in the process. The baby's cries were an eerie background for the death throes of the Source. Even dying, he managed to utter a cryptic threat, directed at Cole:

"You think that you are safe? Others will come after you again and again. My vengeance will be complete…"

After what seemed like an eternity, part of the charred morsels of what had been the master of the underworld started plunging down, disappearing through the floorboards, while some flew up and around the room, splattering on the walls and the toppled furniture. As soon as he was totally destroyed, Phoebe ran to the crib, her heart pounding inside her chest from the terrible scare. Cole kept his eyes on her, as he was slowly standing up. She picked up Jason, and brought him tight against her chest, tears of relief running down her cheeks, as she could see that he was unharmed. Only then, did she turn to her husband with an uncertain expression.

"Cole?"

He wanted to go to her, to take her in his arms and forget all about his anger, but this one was still very much alive inside of him, unlike his powers.

"I'm fine, if you care," he answered sarcastically, instead.

Piper intervened then, totally floored:

"What the hell just happened?"

"You simply did it," Leo answered for them, "you killed the Source!"

"And what about him," was now asking Paige, indicating Cole with more than a little resentment. What Phoebe had endured in the last few weeks, they had felt deeply as well.

Cole's betrayal had seemed so complete.

Leo was about to answer, but Cole stopped him with a slight hand motion.

"It does not matter anymore, Leo. I think that I might as well leave anyway."

He had said this, as he was turning his back to Phoebe and slowly moving toward the door.

"Hey! You cannot leave like that. What is the matter with you," Phoebe almost screamed in frustration and fear.

"Why don't you go to your precious Clay and leave me alone."

"What?"

Cole turned to her then, his face contorted by his apparent struggle to control himself.

"I know what you want now. It's fine with me," he uttered with a tremor to his voice. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, the pain showed through. 

Phoebe took a few steps toward him angrily:

"The nerve of you. For the last two weeks, you have been back to your evil ways, and now you give me reproaches!"

Leo thought that now was the time to intervene, even though he had pain to understand Cole' strong reaction:

"He was not really evil, Phoebe. It was all an act, for the Source."

Phoebe turned impatiently toward Leo:

"An act," she screamed incredulously.

"He almost killed us!"

"Almost being the operative word, Phoebe…"

"Trust me, If I had wanted to, you and this…This Clay would be dead."

The name, he had spat with more resentment than he had wanted to.

"You mean, all this time, you were just pretending? You played me for a fool?"

Cole was not in the mood to temper her impressions of it.

"If that is what you want to believe…"

Leo tried once more to bring back the peace.

"Hey, doesn't any of you realize what just happened? You did it, you fulfilled your destiny!"

Slowly the girls turned toward the spot where they had finally vanquished the Source.

Paige could not help ask:

"Is he dead, really? I mean, it seems so anticlimactic?"

Cole answered gruffly:

"He is dead, alright." 

Then he turned and stormed out of the room. Phoebe was not about to let him go so easily, however.

While her sisters stayed behind, too stunned to move just yet, she went after him.

"Cole," she called from the top of the stairs.

He stopped reluctantly, still looking away.

"Look at me," she uttered nervously.

"Why?

"How could you ask me this? I have been worried sick about you and the way you acted. I thought that I had lost you. And now that it should be over, you are running away, without telling me why."

"I did tell you why."

"What does Clay have to do with this?"

Cole finally turned angrily toward her.

"Last night, he seemed to have a lot to do with it. How quickly you replaced me, amazing really. I hope that you and him will be very happy," he uttered in a voice that left not doubts to Phoebe about his true feelings.

The baby was becoming agitated; sensing his mother's unnerved state of mind.

She tried to calm down for his sake but it was very hard. Coming down the stairs toward Cole, she pursued:

"What are you talking about again? You were not even here last night. No more than you were here for the last week," she added reproachfully, in spite of her resolve to be reasonable.

Cole uttered a disabused laughter:

"Oh I was there alright. Just long enough to see what I needed to…"

"What are you saying," Phoebe somewhat babbled, now afraid of what she would hear. She knew what it must be that he was so angry about…

"I don't think that I need to give you a recap. I did not stay for the whole show. How did it go next? Did you reminisce in the morning?"

He could not have hurt her more if he had hit her. Of that, she was certain, as she felt the words like a punch in her stomach. She felt somewhat guilty as well, but it was drowned into the unfairness of his accusations.

"How dare you? Nothing happened." She uttered between clenched teeth. The anger was quickly building inside of her as well.

"You lied to me, you abandoned me. Clay was here all along. He supported me while I was crumbling, thinking that I had lost you. You cannot go around and accuse me like this, considering what you have put me through… How could you not trust me enough to tell me?"

The pain in her voice was almost unbearable. Although, he was still angry for what he had seen, he wanted nothing more than to stop her anguish.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, in a much calmer tone of voice. 

By then however, Phoebe had become too angry to calm down so easily.

"You should have thought of that before you accused me without knowing."

She stared at him for a moment longer, and then she turned around brusquely.

"Do not bother going anywhere, I will," she said, as she stormed out.

Piper, Paige and Leo were coming down the stairs at this point. Leo turned to Cole askance, but when this one said nothing, he told him:

"I'll talk to her. I am sure that she will see that it was the only way."

Cole chuckled sadly:

"I don't think that it will change a thing…"

Leo stared at him severely then, but did not say anymore.

Piper and Paige were very embarrassed by the situation, and Piper tried to give a lighter turn to it.

"It's ok really. We had to go home anyway, to write about it in the book. I'm sure that Phoebe will be back shortly," she added with a hint of uncertainty.

Cole decided not to burst her bubble any more. 

"I suppose," he had simply answered. He did not believe it however.

The group went out, leaving him utterly confused as to what would happen next. For a long moment, he debated whether he should simply pack his bags and leave. However, he had no where to go. The potion that he had provided to Leo had been a similar one to the potion that Phoebe had prepared a while back, intent on stripping his powers. As he had predicted, this had hurt the Source, making him weaker, but had also the unfortunate side effects of effectively stripping Cole's powers. All of them! Now, he found himself powerless, and most probably alone. He walked heavily toward their living room, and poured himself a large drink before sitting down, lost in somber thoughts.

After a while of this sulking, he finally decided that he could not give up without at least trying to salvage his relationship. Maybe, if he tried to talk to her again?

Who knew, maybe Leo had been able to clear the way for him to try…

Picking himself up, he went out of the house and toward the manor…

And here they were now. After hearing this story, he had realized how much hurt he had caused her, but most of all, how unfair he had truly been to her. He had pulled the card distractedly from his pocket as she continued the tale, and when she stopped talking, he only then saw what he was doing. Maybe it was for the best, maybe he should have let her go to Clay, he had thought then.

After he told her this however, her silence hurt him so much. "What if she does," he was now dreading. "How stupid of you," he thought again, almost tempted to pick up the card again. Yet, he just left it there, and waited…

Now, they were both staring at the card, as if it would jump and bite them. 

Taking a deep breath, Phoebe turned away from it resolutely and looked directly at Cole, who was still looking away, at least until she spoke.

"I do not care about the pains that we went through, it was all worth it. I chose to be with you because that was all I wanted. I don't know exactly where we go from here, but I know one thing for sure… I love you, and no one else."

The relief he felt then was mitigated but still considerable. He had been utterly convinced that she might just choose that man over him, that she somehow had stopped loving him as before.

"Really?"

She timidly brought her hand over his, smiling weakly:

"Yes really."

"I love you too."

"I know," she said, but was glad to hear it nevertheless.

Sighing, she said then:

"Why don't we finish this thing, and figure out what the Elders have in mind? Then," she said, as she moved toward him and deposited a light kiss on his cheek, "we can work on our own problems and put them behind us. What do you say?"

He simply nodded yes, while smiling somewhat encouragingly and taking her offered hand in his.

Phoebe settled closer to him, before continuing the story again. She hoped that by the end, all this would indeed have had a point…


	6. Twice in Two Lifetimes (Chapter 5)

****

Twice in Two Lifetimes

Chapter V

Cole stopped in front of the convent's large doors and turned back, waiting for Leo.

"What," Leo exclaimed.

"Hey, you are the one who chose to wear a priest habit. Now, to get into this place, that will be very useful…"

Leo sighed dejectedly, tempted to turn back. However, Cole seemed really anxious about this.

"Alright, but if they find me out and I get burned at the stake…"

"I will not let that happen. Although, if you do not hurry up, I might just delay and watch you roast for a while…"

"I see that you are showing your true colors," Leo snickered, even as he knocked on the wooden door.

He shrugged when he saw the self-satisfied smile that played on Cole's lips at this. It did not last long, but that was more than enough for Leo to see how much his companion enjoyed teasing him.

One of the nuns cracked the door opened and asked impatiently:

"What is it?"

"Sister, may I request a visit of your fine nunnery? I traveled from a far land and heard of it even there…"

"What," was the astounded nun's response.

Leo turned to Cole askance, and this one rolled his eyes dejectedly.

Then, as he saw the nun about to close the door again, he lifted his eyebrows imperatively toward Leo.

This one understood without a word and put his foot in the threshold.

"Sister, please you must allow me an audience with your Reverend Mother."

He heard Cole's impatient sigh, and dropped his shoulders to demonstrate his irritation. However, he saw that the nun was getting more annoyed by the moment and would not let them in. Sighing, he began concentrating on her.

Looking straight into her eyes, he started in a soft but firm voice:

"You want us to come in, you are eager to show us in, even."

The nun shook her head as if to chase away something, but her eyes returned to his nevertheless, as if she could not escape his stare. 

Leo pursued, even more persuasive:

"I would be glad to greet you inside…"

The nun repeated the words even as he was saying them, and slowly opened the door fully for them.

As if transfixed, she showed them in.

Cole followed Leo silently, careful not the break the tenuous connection.

Only when the nun left them, presumably to get the Reverend Mother, did he talk again.

"Well, that was not too difficult now was it? You have to teach me this little parlor trick someday…"

Leo did not like the offhandedly manner in which he described his power:

"This little parlor trick, as you call it, could mean the difference between us finding your lover, and us being thrown out of this place unceremoniously. I imagine that it is what we are here for?"

"Didn't you tell me that she will have forgotten all about us in a few minutes," Cole replied, ignoring the last question.

"That will work until we are spotted by someone else," Leo retorted, looking around nervously. "I suggest that we moved on…"

Cole did not answer, but rather took the direction of the hallway facing them.

Leo followed silently for a moment, but was still wondering what the demon expected to find.

"So, what are we looking for exactly?"

"I have no idea. Just something that will tell me what Reinhart was doing here. We need to figure it out, because I am sure that he is still after Maria."

This he had said with a hint of fear that did not escape Leo.

Leo was about to ask him more precision about what he had felt, hoping that it would indicate more clearly what he should be looking for, when they came face to face with two women who looked distraught.

The first thing that struck him was their appearance. One of them obviously did not belong in this place. She wore street clothes and in very bad taste at this. It was easy to guess her profession. The other had on a more appropriate nun habit, but both of them seemed just as worried, although obviously not about being seen together.

Indeed, they were talking a little too loud at the moment.

"What happened," the street girl was asking to the nun with a panicky edge to her voice.

"I am afraid that Phoebe is lost."

"How could you say that? You are already giving up on our sister! Phoebe was right about you, you are a coward."

"How dare you!"

Piper still had her mouth opened, probably preparing some outraged objection, when she caught sight of the two men.

Startled, she took a step back.

"What are you doing in here?"

Leo looked Paige up and down before answering.

"I could ask her the same thing…"

Piper seemed slightly embarrassed, while Paige just stared back at him insolently.

As she regained some countenance, Piper replied:

"I asked you first. What are you doing here?"

Leo tried to think of some explanation, but finding none, he turned to Cole for help. However, he realized that the demon seemed transfixed, as if stricken.

"Cole?"

"It is them. At least, two of them…"

"What?"

"The witches, they are the witches we have been looking for…"

Piper and Paige took several steps back before babbling:

"What are you talking about, are you mad?"

Cole took a deep breath, then took a step forward, trying his best to look reassuring.

"Do not worry, we are here to help."

Piper was not about to trust a stranger with her most precious secret, however:

"You are mistaken, mister. I will ask you to leave these premises at once, before I call for help."

Both men ignored her threat, while Leo questioned Cole:

"Are you sure? I mean, she is a nun!"

"I can see them, I can see through them, what they were before…"

"Is she one of them?"

Cole lowered his head, obviously pained.

"No…"

"What in the name of God are you two talking about? You must really be crazy."

Undeterred, Cole took a few more steps toward them.

"I know you, I have known you for a very long time, even if you do not remember me, Marguerite."

Now, Piper was thoroughly convinced that they had to be mad or drunk.

"My name is Sister Maria. I have no idea on who is this Marguerite, which you are referring to. You obviously are mistaken."

Cole was becoming impatient, now more convinced than ever that Reinhart had been there for his Maria.

"It does not matter what your name is now, you are still witches. The witches from the prophecy."

Leo saw the frightened expressions of the women, and thought that he should intervene.

"Cole, you are scaring them, it will get you nowhere."

Cole turned to him with irritation.

"Time is of the essence. Reinhart was here, and who knows what he has done?"

Ignoring his companion's warning, he moved quickly toward Paige.

"Come on, Meredith, you were always the most open-minded. You have to believe me."

Paige was about to protest as well, but he took her hand firmly in his, provoking a premonition.

'Four women were in front of a tall and dark figure. They were standing in some sort of a dark cave. The demon facing them was building a fireball in his hand, even as three of the women began chanting a spell, while the other seemed to hold the demon within a circle of white shimmering light. The demon appeared to falter for a moment, as if the spell was working, but suddenly he stepped out of the restraining circle, and then threw the fireball at the closest women. This one burst into flames, screaming in agony, even as the man holding her hand now, was shimmering in front of the burning woman a split second too late to prevent her demise. The man turned to the dying woman with a scream of despair, as he saw her being totally consumed. Meanwhile, the demon, ignoring him, turned to the second woman, and quickly building another fireball, he threw it toward her as well, with the same unfortunate result. The fourth woman reacted by sending a bolt of the same white light in his direction, sending him flying a good distance. This seemed to shake the shimmering man out of his stricken trance. He turned resolutely toward the demon, and with rage written all over his face, he materialized an athame, launching toward the dark form, now lying down on the hard floor of the chamber. Without hesitation, he stabbed him deeply. Unfortunately, that was not enough to kill the demon, but it weakened him. He still found the strength to send his attacker flying almost across the chamber, where this one fell hard in turn. Seeing this and in desperation, the two women that were left alive, gave another try to the spell. Given the fact that he was wounded, the spell worked as they had originally planned. In an instant, the Source was engulfed in flames and blew apart.

Then Cole got up slowly from where he had fallen, and walked toward the location where Maria had been stricken. Falling on his knees, he let out a sorrowful scream, startling the two women, who were still stuck in place, in total disbelief.

They turned to him only to hear his promise to the empty spot.

"I will find you, we will be together again. I swear it to you."

Another man staggered from a dark corner, tears rolling freely down his cheeks. He looked shocked. Cole lifted his head toward him at this point, and seemed to only then, realize that this one had also lost the one he loved.

Unable to look at him anymore, he turned to where Marguerite had stood, and in a hoarse voice, he uttered.

"I'm sorry, I am sorry that I could not save them."

Then before they could say anything to him, he had shimmered out."

'

Paige returned to the present with a start. She looked up at the stranger with a very intense surprise.

"You were there, and…We were too, but not the same…"

Cole did not have time to question her about the vision, because an angry voice interrupted them.

"What is the meaning of this?"

This was the nun who had greeted Phoebe and Paige the night before.

"I thought that I was clear about this one," she said indignantly, indicating Paige. "She was supposed to stay in the kitchens. "Moreover, who are these men and how did they get in? Was that your doing too, Sister Maria?"

This was all too much for Piper and she panicked. Lifting her hand nervously, she froze the nun, and in doing so, she froze Cole as well.

Paige seemed puzzled for an instant, as she retrieved her hand from Cole frozen grip. Then her eyes opened wide.

"Oh my god, he is not a witch!"

Leo quickly intervened:

"No, but I am. I assure you, Cole is here to help you."

Paige continued with her own train of thoughts:

"What is he? He was there all that long ago in my vision. Looking exactly the same," she pursued as she was stepping back uncertainly.

"It does not matter what he is, only that we are both here to help you…"

He did not have time to say more before another nun came beside them, exclaiming just as angrily about the visitors. However, she stopped short when looking back at her fellow sister, she saw that she was not moving.

Waving her hand in front of her, she realized that this one was frozen in place. They might still have gotten out of this mess, if the first nun had not unfrozen right then and pointed an accusing finger toward Piper:

"What are you doing to me?"

Leo tried his power of suggestion on them, but two of them were too many, and the screams were already bringing more nuns their way. As Cole unfroze in turn, Leo signaled to him to follow him with Paige, as he ran toward Piper and pulled her back down the hallway. Cole did not need much convincing, as he could see the accumulating crowd coming their way. He grabbed Paige's arm, even as she protested, and quickly dragged her behind Leo.

They emerged into the kitchens, and Leo closed the door quickly behind Cole and Paige.

"Cole, I think that this borough has become very unhealthy for all of us."

"I am afraid that I will have to agree. Girls, I do think that you should come with us."

Piper stiffened at this.

"Going with you? Are you insane? We do not know you. For all we know, you might be trying to lure us into a trap. This is all your fault, after all. I was just fine where I was. I will convince them that you did it all."

Cole did not care much for this.

Outside the door, they could hear people coming their way, and soon there was an insistent knocking.

"If we had time, I might argue this point with you, but we do not have this luxury. Leo, drag her out of here if you have to, we are going," he then said, as he pulled on Paige's arm again, and directed her quickly toward the back door. Paige did not protest, as now she realized that her banter of the night before might just become true. 

Piper, on the other hand, stood fast.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

Leo came to her, and insisted:

"I swear to you, we are here to help. I know that it does not look good now, but we only want to save you."

"I do not need saving. Until you came here, I was perfectly safe."

"The situation has changed. They will suspect you now. You know perfectly well that suspicion is equal to guilt in this world."

She flinched at this, but what decided her, were the words that one of the nuns screamed through the door.

"Open this door, witch. Have the courage to face your judgement."

Cole was calling impatiently from outside:

"Leo, now!"

Piper hesitated only a moment longer, then she ran out ahead of Leo, who sighed in relief as he followed her outside…

Phoebe found herself waiting impatiently into a dark cave. Without knowing how, or why she had been directed to this place.

She only knew that she had waited way too long already. Only one thought occupied her mind at the moment:

"When is he going to show up so that I can kill him?"

Reinhart had observed her for a long period of time, seeing the anger growing in her. This was perfect. Exactly the way he wanted her. Full of hatred and ready for him.

When he thought that it was time, he materialized behind her.

"So, what's next," he calmly uttered.

Phoebe turned on herself with rage on her face. Instantly, an athame appeared in her hand and without wait, she threw it at the newcomer.

The knife missed its mark however, as Reinhart shimmered out and reappeared on the other side of her. 

"I'm here!"

Phoebe angrily turned toward him again, ready to pounce. However, before she could do a thing, he had shimmered out again.

She screamed in frustration.

In her mind, the hated man talked:

"We could play this game for a very long time. Or, I could begin teaching you about your new powers…"

Looking around herself angrily, she answered aloud:

"I know all I have to know about my powers. All I care about now, is for you to die."

The irritating voice continued echoing in her mind.

"Of course, you would think that, but consider this. Killing me will only bring you a small satisfaction. I could teach you the ways of evil and then, you could take your revenge on the real guilty parties. The humanity who let you down, and even more so, the man who watched you die and then pretended that he loved you in your former life…"

"I do not know of such a man, I only know how much I hate you!"

"And you want me dead. I know. Well, my dear, your feeble powers are not enough to destroy me. But who knows, in time and with my guidance, you might grow into a very powerful warlock."

"I want nothing to do with you," she uttered then, but with a slight hesitation. The thought of more powers, and of taking revenge on all the people who hurt her was a tempting one.

"Focus," he was saying again, "let your hate make you more powerful. Do not let it run you. Only then will you become all you can be…"

"And what would that be," she asked derisively, even though, she was curious deep down.

"It is up to you, but I was thinking that you could become my right hand. Together we could rule the underworld and then, the world."

"Ambitious if you ask me…"

"But possible… First however, there is another one that you would need to bring here in order for us to be ready."

"I thought that you wanted to reign. Wouldn't three of us be a crowd?"

The voice roared:

"I will reign, do not be mistaken. I will rule over you, and him, and all of them. Nevertheless, you could share in my powers, if you help me."

"What about this other one?"

Reinhart suddenly shimmered only feet away from her…

"We need him too, but he will come to you. If only to prove to himself that he loves you…"

Phoebe was totally confused then. She wanted to kill the monster in front of her. However, what he suggested had an enormous appeal. Yet, she could not understand how she could be loved by a man that she did not know, and even less how she could bring him to them because of it."

A satisfied smile appeared on the monster's lips, as he watched her.

"I see that you are thinking. Good…"

"I do not understand," she replied, even as she was itching to hit him.

"All you have to do is bring me Beltram. Then you will understand…"

"How?"

"He is looking for you. Make it easy for him to find you…"

As he was saying this, the clear image of a stranger formed in her mind, no doubts sent by the demon in front of her.

"Why do you need him for?"

"So that he will pay. Forever…"

As soon as he had finished talking, he vanished.

Phoebe was left there wondering why she had not simply tried to kill him again. Yet, in her mind, an idea started to form; one that she was not sure if it had come from her, or from a suggestion. Either way, she felt compelled to act upon it… A few minutes later, she blinked out, knowing where to go, even if she was not sure how…

Cole and Leo had pushed and pulled the girls imperatively, knowing that they had very little time before a whole posse came after them. Around these parts, witchcraft was the worse of crimes, in spite of the fact that most magic was meant to protect them. Mortals only knew that they did not understand it and feared it for this reason alone. 

At the town's doors, a guard stopped them. The spectacle that they offered him was rather unusual. A nun riding with a priest and a merchant riding with a street girl made the guard overtly suspicious. Leo tried once more to talk his way out of this place. However, as the talk prolonged, they could hear clamors coming toward them, and all of them realized that their time was counted. Cole simply pushed the guard aside, while calling impatiently for Leo to mount his horse quickly. Without wait, this one did, and then rode as fast as he could behind Cole, who was quickly distancing him, while Paige did her best not to fall off the mount.

They went on for hours, this until the girls protested loudly that no one was following them anymore. Cole had directed them into the fields rather than the dirt road, and it seemed that they had indeed lost their pursuers. However, as much as he understood that they must be exhausted, he had intended to ride through the day, and only stop for the night.

"Hey," Paige screamed in his ears, at last "didn't you hear me? I said that I wanted to stop!"

Irritably, he turned halfway toward her.

"It's not safe yet."

"It won't do us any good if we fall off the horse out of exhaustion. I can see that you are just as tired as I am…"

Cole had to admit that it had been a long two days. He had more resistance to fatigue himself, but reasoned that Leo and the girls might not be able to go any farther without rest.

Pulling the reins, he turned toward Leo who was coming fast in their direction.

"I think that we should stop."

Paige uttered a derisive laughter.

"You think?"

He just grimaced in annoyance toward her, before she dismounted.

Paige had not realized how long it had been until she took a few steps and felt her wobbly legs.

She almost let herself down to the ground right then and there, as her sister dismounted in turn, obviously experiencing the same unpleasant sensation.

They looked at each other with the same terrible apprehension. In one night and day, their sister had apparently turned bad, and Piper had lost the stability and peace that she had almost taken for granted.

Leo observed them sadly for a moment, then he looked around and spotted an overhanging tree where he thought that they could settle for a while.

Indicating it to Cole, he then walked toward it without waiting for an answer, decided to start a fire. Cole had stayed on the horse, unwilling to dismount just yet. He felt the urge to continue. He had to find her still, even though he did not have the first clue as to how. 

In addition, he figured that there might be some habitations out there, where they could spend the night more comfortably.

Turning the horse toward Leo, he quickly reached him.

"I will go have a look around while you rest…"

"Don't you think that you might use some rest as well?"

"Do not worry yourself about me. Will you be alright with those two?"

"Why not?"

Cole was not too certain if he should just shrug at this offhanded response. He was about to leave anyway, when Leo called back.

"I know what is bothering you…"

"Do you, now," Cole questioned without looking back.

"If the girls are right, there might not be anything that you can do for her."

Cole hesitated, but began walking the horse away, without answering.

"It could just be the end for her, if she did choose evil…"Leo called louder.

Cole stopped the horse and slowly turned toward him.

"I cannot give up trying Leo. I have to find her."

"Just remember that you are not alone in this thing…"

Cole just turned back and rode away.

Phoebe observed the group from afar. She had found them easily. It was strange to her, but she knew where to go right away. He was just like the image in her mind. She watched him go and blinked out, reappearing ahead of him but out of the others' sight. As she was waiting for him to come over the hill, she still wondered why she would do that monster's bidding. Whatever he had told her about this Beltram, she had no idea on who he was. Yet, deep down, something told her that there was a connection between them, however tenuous. 

In the underworld, a group of lower level demons and warlocks debated on their next course of action. They had heard of unusual activities up top and wondered about it. For the last twenty years or so, they had built up a force of their own, unhindered by the now defunct Source. Their assembly would have been impossible under the implacable rule of their former master. However, without him, they had found safety against the strongest demons in numbers, and they enjoyed the freedom to do as they pleased. A while ago, another faction had disbanded the all-powerful brotherhood of the Thorn. This after one of their members was found to have defected to the other side, and eventually helped killing the Source. This had weakened the Brotherhood's position in the underworld even more than the death of the Source himself. Very few of their numbers had survived the purge, but the ones who had were still a potential risk to all of the lower demons. Word was going around that one of them had surfaced and was trying to get back to his former status. Some theorized that he might want even more than this. Decided to preserve their newfound freedom, they set out to find out which of them he was, and to stop him at all cost.

Phoebe saw him coming and became strangely impatient. What was it about this man, whatever he truly was, which had this effect on her? Shaking away her doubts however, she moved toward him with her best enticing routine.

Cole reined in the horse as soon as he saw her. He knew immediately that the one that he had been looking for had found him instead. For a moment, he hoped that she had simply changed her mind and was coming back to her sisters, and to him incidentally. However, as she came closer with this artificial smile on her face, he sensed the same hesitating evil as before. "What is her purpose then?" He asked himself with a hint of disappointment. But much more than this, he was angry with himself for not finding her in time. Whatever happened next, he could not give up on her, just as he had told Leo. Not knowing what to expect, he dismounted and waited for her to come nearer.

"Hello," she said in a sultry voice that left him no doubts about the attempt at seduction. "I have been waiting for you…" She continued just as suggestively.

In his mind's eye he could only see the girl that he had fallen so madly in love with all those years ago. It erased the outrageous outfit and the unkempt hair of the girl standing before him. 

He wanted to go to her and just wrap his arms around her as if nothing had happened in the intervening years. Even if he was still thinking clearly enough to realize that she was not the one that he had known, this did not keep him from trying to reach the one he remembered.

"Maria?"

She frowned slightly, always keeping the seductive smile, as she approached him.

"I do not know who this Maria is, but really, why would you want another? I have so much to offer you."

He held his breath, as she leaned against him, caressing his chest purposefully.

"What is your name my sweet," she asked then.

"I thought that you said you were waiting for me? Shouldn't you know who I am?"

Undeterred, she slid her hand behind his neck, almost breaking his resolve as she tried to pull him toward her offered lips.

"I just wanted to be sure…" she whispered.

In her eyes, he thought that he could read uncertainty. Not about who he was, but rather about her own actions. 

"Maria, please come with me, we will help you."

Her anger flared suddenly.

"My name is Phoebe, remember that!"

He flinched at the harshness in her voice. Yet this had been very fleeting, and soon she was caressing him again, her hand moving down to his loins, eliciting an involuntary groan out of him.

"See, I do not need saving, but you on the other hand, I know just what you need," she uttered hoarsely, even as her expert caresses reminded him how much he had denied himself over the years. 

Steeling himself, he pulled her away from him, and she became angry again.

"What kind of a man are you?"

"I just want to help you Phoebe. If we do this, it will only encourage you on the wrong path. Please come back with me. Your sisters will help you too."

"I told you," she replied between clenched teeth, " that I did not need any help."

He held on to her while again trying to convince her.

"You have to let me help you. You cannot really believe that it is better to be evil. I know whom you are inside. I will not accept that you could have changed that much."

"I do not know who you think I am, but if you think that a few good words can repair the wrongs that I endured, you are sorely mistaken."

Even as she was saying this, she wondered why she felt the need to defend her position to him. 

Anger invaded her again at this point, but also frustration.

"I do not know what he wants you for. He is crazy to think that you could be of any use to us."

Cole frowned questioningly:

"What are you talking about?"

It suddenly came to him that things might be even worse than he had imagined. He had been worried that Reinhart would go after her again, but was now wondering if he was the one she referred to. Could it be that instead of killing her, he was using her?

Phoebe was continuing for herself.

"I should have killed him. He is an idiot."

"Phoebe, who is he?" Cole insisted. 

She looked strangely at him.

"Someone who told me that you watched me die, even as you pretended to love me, whatever that means."

"I did love you, I do still," he told her impulsively, the hurt infinite at the reminder of his failure. "I could not save you then, please let me save you now."

Deep down, a part of her felt bad for hurting him, even if she had no idea why this should be so hurtful. She rejected this feeling forcefully however, keeping only in mind that he had failed her somehow.

"I do not want to change. I feel good the way I am now."

"You cannot mean that."

"Yes I do. I have power now. No one is going to hurt me again."

In her voice, he could hear all the resentment that she felt. What could he say that would not sound insensitive, given how obviously hurt she was?

"I am so sorry, Phoebe. So sorry that I did not find you soon enough. I only wanted to protect you, and now you are suffering because of me. I never wanted that."

So, it was all true. This stranger, this man that she did not even know, had been the reason for her ordeal. She felt the hatred and pain surging again.

This time, it was directed at him.

"Why?" She asked suddenly. "Why did I have to suffer through this?"

In her eyes, he could see all the sorrow contained inside of her. Nevertheless, there was also the rage that it had caused.

"You have to believe me, Phoebe. I never meant for anything to happen to you."

She wanted to know what he was to the monster, that he would have hurt her so much because of him. However, screams coming from the hill nearby caught both their attentions. This just before a lightning bolt hit the ground between them…

By Christine Lemieux/ Justright


	7. Twice in Two Lifetimes (Chapter 6)

****

Twice in Two Lifetimes

Chapter VI

_"Well, that's a world gone mad! You, trying to turn me from evil," Phoebe exclaimed, looking at Cole with an amused expression._

"Why is that," he asked, even as he smiled frankly for the first time of the evening.

"I did a few times…"

Phoebe traced the smile with her finger, just glad to see him happier.

"You should do that more, sweetie. And as for saving me from evil, let's just say that you were not always successful…"

"Ouch! And there I thought that I had done good."

Phoebe chuckled:

"Ok, let's say that you got brownie points for trying…"

"You are too kind," he answered, lifting his eyebrows comically." Now, however, I am very curious to know if I was successful in the past, and most of all, who was trying to kill us?"

"Oh, I'll get to that," Phoebe replied, while leaning toward him. "But are you sure that we could not do something more stimulating first?" This, as she began depositing light kisses on his neck, slowly working her way up to his lips.

"Hum, I see your point," he said, just before he pulled her on his lap.

"Can't we just go home and well, finish this there,"

She added suggestively.

"Are we ok?" He still asked, in spite of a strong urge to just forget about it.

"You know what," she whispered against his lips, "right now, I think that we are more than ok."

At this point, he did not feel like arguing this at all, as he kissed her hungrily. It had been so long already…

"Hey guys!"

Reluctantly, Phoebe pulled away from their embrace and looked at Paige with more than a little annoyance.

"Paige!"

"Oh sorry, I see that things got better," she replied with a sheepish smile. "I just came back to tell you that I mostly finished the cleaning, and I thought that I could bring Jason back home?"

"Thanks Paige, but we are not quite done here…"

Paige chuckled:

"Oh, I can see that…"

Phoebe grimaced at her.

"Anyway, Jason can still stay here for a while, it's fine. Besides, Piper said that she wanted to try her hand at babysitting some more."

"Oh well, I could not sleep, you see…"

Phoebe understood that she did not feel like being alone now, and although she would have preferred to continue their little interlude, she did not have the heart to send her away.

Casting an apologizing glance toward Cole, she reluctantly invited her sister to stay.

"Are you sure? I mean…"

"Oh, it's ok, Paige. We were just recalling another past life…"

Paige came to sit hesitantly on a chair nearby.

"Well, that looked to be pretty…Exciting."

"Paige!"

"Oh alright, I'm shutting up."

Although he felt a little frustration, Cole could not help smiling at the sisters' banter. 

Phoebe sat back on the couch, and she resumed the story up till then for Paige's benefit. Then she continued where she had left off.


	8. Twice in Two Lifetimes (Chapter 7)

****

Twice in Two Lifetimes

Chapter VII

__

"What? He is ready to go to her just like that! Typical, if you ask me…"

Paige had just exclaimed this, and Cole turned to her with a hint of irritation.

"I doubt very much that I would have given in that easily. Besides," he added with a little smile, "I have a good feeling about this…"

Phoebe turned to him, smiling mockingly:

"You do? That's weird, I know for a fact that you can give in easily enough…"

He was almost tempted to laugh at the obvious meaning.

"Well, of course, it all depends on the circumstances," he replied playfully, as she moved closer.

Both of them had apparently forgotten about Paige.

"Hum," she uttered loudly, getting their attention, as they turned to her reluctantly.

"It's all sweet and nice," she continued, with an amused smile, "but I want to know what happened next."

Phoebe gave her a falsely severe look:

"Then, maybe you should not interrupt?"

"Can't a girl ask a few questions, here and there?" She replied with a just as falsely offended expression.

"Hum," Phoebe just uttered, before she settled back, and went on with her story.


	9. Twice in two Lifetimes (Chapter 8)

****

Twice in Two Lifetimes

Chapter VIII

__

The doorbell pulled them all out of the story rudely.

"Oh man, not now!" Paige exclaimed.

"Talk about bad timing! Alright, I will get it," Cole announced, as he got up.

"Are you sure?"

Cole gave Phoebe a slightly offended look.

"Hey, I was just asking…"

"Hum," he grumbled, as he walked away.

Unfortunately, the visitor happened to be Clay again.

"Clay," Cole uttered irritably, "I thought that you had left for good," he added with a sour smile.

"I thought that Phoebe might have come to her senses," Clay retorted seriously.

Phoebe, who had followed just in case of such an eventuality, called warningly:

"Cole…"

"I'm calm, I promise…"

"Hum," she said with a knowing smile, as she turned to Clay.

"Clay, I did not expect you back so soon, I thought that you understood."

"I could not stay away, I was worried about you."

Phoebe heard the deep sigh her husband uttered, but she ignored it and went on:

"I assure you that everything is fine."

Cole took her by the waist ostensibly, before adding:

"More than fine, thank you."

Phoebe frowned slightly, but did not move away.

"Yes, that's it…"

"You are sure?"

"Very sure."

Clay gave another meaningful look toward Cole but this time, Cole smiled widely.

"Alright then," Clay said reluctantly, "but if you ever have any problems…"

"I won't."

"Good night, Clay."

This one finally turned around, and walked out reluctantly, while Cole let go of Phoebe and closed the door in a hurry.

"Hum…"

"What," Cole answered, but without looking back, suddenly unsure.

"That is what you call being calm and reasonable?"

"Well," he said turning to her with a sheepish smile, "I did not hit him…"

His smile faded at her severe expression.

"That was not very nice… Clay was only concerned for my wellbeing."

Frowning, he replied:

"Maybe you would like to go after him…"

"I thought that you were ok with whatever I decided?"

"I lied."

Phoebe seemed to hesitate a moment, and he wondered if he had not gone too far this time.

Then, she suddenly moved toward him, and threw her arms around his neck.

"Good," she said with a bright smile.

"What? I thought that you said you did not like me to be jealous?"

"Well, jealous like before, I did not. But there is a limit at being too reasonable," she said, as she kissed him happily.

"You did that just to torture me, didn't you," he said afterward.

"I did not tell Clay to come back…But really, you deserved it…"

"Alright," he replied with an amused smile.

Paige called from the living room:

"Hey guys, I'm still waiting."

"In a moment," Phoebe called to her, while repressing a giggle, as Cole started nibbling playfully on her ear.

"Ok now, we got to go back," she said, although halfheartedly.

"Hum," he replied, while moving down her neck," are you sure that this could not wait?"

"Hey, I was dying in there, you could show some interest as to what happened."

"Honey," he answered, "I am much more interested in the here and now…"

"Hum, tempting…"

Paige came out of the living room then.

"So?"

Phoebe pushed herself off him reluctantly.

"We're coming…"

When Paige had reentered the living room, Cole took her waist again and whispered in her neck:

"We are?"

She sighed.

"Yes, we are…"

"I'm beginning to not like your sister…"

"Cole…" she replied warningly, although with a little smile.

He let go of her and followed, convincingly faking annoyance. However, Paige seemed oblivious to this, as she greeted them impatiently:

"Well, it's not too soon…"

Phoebe gave her a meaningful look, but still settled to continue the story.


	10. Twice in Two Lifetimes ( Epilogue)

**__**

Twice in Two Lifetimes

Epilogue

"You see, "Paul began "eight hundred years ago, you gave up your powers, and life expectancy. In doing so, you have made your soul what I would call a free agent of sort…"

Paul saw that Cole was about to protest, but he continued:

"It would not have been a bad thing per say, and in truth for many lifetimes you did pretty good… However, just about two hundred years ago, this all changed. Of all things, and I guess because of all the efforts you had made to redeem yourself, you found yourself a priest. Phoebe on the other hand, did not have a very good life that time. A lot of hardship and a renewed fear of witches among communities pushed her once more into "the life".

"Wait," Cole questioned, I think that I know what you are referring to…"

Phoebe turned to him in surprise.

"How could you remember that?"

"To be honest Phoebe, I had this nightmare, which I thought was just that, a while back, and I did not want to bother you with it."

Paul nodded in acquiescence.

"I actually think that the Source may have sent you this memory in the hope of turning you back. Fortunately, he was not successful, but long ago, when it actually happened, he almost was."

Paul resumed the story for Phoebe and Paige's benefit, and told her how she had caused a serious rift between her and Cole, as well as risked his very soul.

"Do not beat yourself up, Phoebe. You were as much a victim of the vengeful disposition of the Source as Cole was… To understand this, you need now to understand who the Source really was."

"Wait," Phoebe said then, "could it be," she questioned with an appalled stare.

Paul smiled knowingly.

"Just remember, you beat him…" Then he continued:

"Eight hundred years ago, contrary to what you all believed, you had not killed Reinhart. However, you hurt him really bad and for a few centuries, he hid deep down in the underworld, licking his wounds and nurturing his hatred of both you and Cole. When he was strong enough, he surfaced, but stayed hidden from view even from his closest accomplices. If you had seen his demon form, you would have understood why. He was disfigured and bearing the marks of the attack. He could not let anyone see that he had almost been defeated. Nevertheless, he still wanted to lead the underworld. He knew that in order to take his revenge against you and take the power, he needed a strong following and total control over it. So, he created a new persona for himself, one with a different human appearance and strong powers, as well. He had also cultivated a more patient side of himself, making the new him, an easier one to get along with if you want. Maybe for lack of imagination, or pride, he only changed his name slightly and began rebuilding the brotherhood under this alter ego."

Cole said under his breath:

"Reinor…"

"Yes… Meanwhile, he was becoming more important himself in the underworld, as you, the Charmed Ones had weakened the evil world steadily after he was hurt. On both fronts, he managed to convince the underworld's inhabitants to wait and become stronger before renewing their attacks. Considering how badly they had been decimated, it was easy for him to make them accept this. When he felt that he was close enough to his goal, he began trying to get to both of you. Again, he did not find it easy to do so. For many lifetimes, you both resisted his attempts commendably. Until, as I said, two hundred years ago, where he used the very fear of humans for magic against Phoebe. Then, after he had her mostly under his control, he sent her after Cole. He did succeed in damning your soul, in that lifetime. But he found that even then, he could not capture it to put it in a demon's body, as he had hoped for. On the other hand, he had effectively separated your souls from each other, and in time, it did some real damage, mostly to Phoebe, who became evil in many lifetimes. Fortunately, she always ended up vanquished by the other two, which might seem harsh, but was a blessing, obviously… In Cole's case, after many failed attempts, he found that he might simply use the first idea his predecessor had. He sent a powerful demoness to find the most decent man she could find, and create you. By using this pure soul, he managed to lure yours in the child, and made you what you were until recently. Non content of this, he went on to make you evil himself. Pretending to be your friend and mentor, he nurtured your demon half into subjugating the human in you. 

It had worked beyond his wildest dreams, but meanwhile, Phoebe had been redeemed and he lost his hold over her. Undeterred, he continued with his plan, seeing an even more twisted way to take his revenge. He would have Cole, of all people, be the one to kill her. This way, he would have had him forever, even if he had been vanquished in time. And you, Cole, would have lost Phoebe forever as well. He waited until he thought that you were completely his to send you after her. 

When he thought that you were ready and that it would have been impossible for you to love her again, he sent you in the world with a simple mission, kill the Charmed ones. I'll let you imagine how he reacted when Phoebe reawakened your human half…"

Cole snickered:

"We have a pretty good idea…"

"Yes, well, to say the least, he was very angry. He was enraged to have failed again, but he was still hopeful that he would succeed eventually, in a subsequent lifetime if necessary… Which is why he tried to kill you, even more so than for simple revenge. Then of course, when you became an Archangel, he knew that he had lost you as well. Which brings me to the point of the story, obviously…"

"So, if I get what you are saying, I made a mistake by allowing myself to be human again? But he is dead. That should not matter anymore. What's more, it's a little late to do anything about it…"

"As you well know, Cole. Powerful evil beings like him only stay vanquished for so long. One day, he will rise again, and I'll bet you anything that he will be even more determined. He also almost succeeded in this lifetime. What if he thinks that the third time is the charmed? No pun intended…"

"Again, Paul, what is the point of telling this to us now?" Phoebe questioned, annoyed. She had just about made her peace with their future without Cole's powers, even though she worried about Cole's acceptance of his humanity. Still, what was done was done…

Paul smiled, apparently amused at some inside joke:

"Oh ye of little faith… When are you going to trust Uncle Paul to know what he is doing?"

Getting up, he moved toward the threshold without saying anything else.

"Wait, you have not told us what you meant…"

Paul half turned toward them with the same amused smile.

"You will figure it out soon enough… Ciao," he then added, and vanished before they could say anything else.

Paul met Leo outside the house, where he had apparently been waiting, with a smug expression.

"I told you that it would work…"

"Well," Leo answered with a sour face, "it might have worked, but I will be in the doghouse for a couple days. I will bet you anything that my wife will not be thrilled that I lied to her again…"

"A small price to pay…"

"I guess so… Then, the potion modifications worked?"

"As expected…"

Paige, Phoebe and Cole watched the spot that Paul just vacated with some confusion.

"What?" Cole asked at last.

"Beats me…" was Phoebe's nonplussed answer.

"Bah, no matter," Cole continued, I do not feel like solving one of Paul's puzzles tonight," he added then, turning with a suggestive smile toward Phoebe.

It took only a short moment for her to answer in kind, smiling as well.

"Yeah…" she whispered.

Paige saw that they had completely forgotten about her, and got up quickly:

"Well, if it's alright with you," she began with a slightly mocking tone, "I will take Jason home and get some sleep…"  
"Yeah, why not," Phoebe answered without looking at her.

Paige believed that the Source could have walked in that room then and they would not have noticed.

"So," Cole asked after she left, " now that we are alone…"

Phoebe smiled teasingly:

"Maybe we could continue this discussion…"

"Oh I had something else in mind besides talking, for the next few hours…"

"Really?" Phoebe asked, feigning surprise.

"Why don't we go home before she gets there…"

"That's not right to let her take care of Jason for us…"

Cole barely hesitated:

"Nah, for once, let's be selfish…She will not mind, I'm sure…"

"Alright," she replied, already convinced, as she made a move to get up.

"Hey, wait," he said, as he got up himself and lifted her in his arms.

"Oh, sweet! But don't overdo it. Remember, you're not exactly…"

"Trust me…"

He took one step thinking of going home, and in the next instant, a familiar flash of light shone, and they were standing in their bedroom, totally flabbergasted…

"What the?" Cole exclaimed loudly.

"Paul," Phoebe said half-accusatory.

However, once the surprise was passed, she looked back at him with a bright smile.

He was still a little shocked, and she added:

"Well, my husband, I thought that you had something in mind for tonight…"

"Don't you want to talk about this?"

She began kissing him then.

"Oh, later… Much later…"

He did not protest…


End file.
